INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN

OEA/Ser.L CIM/doc.136/17 27 February 2017 Original: Spanish

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE “INTER-AMERICAN PROGRAM ON THE PROMOTION OF WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUITY AND EQUALITY (IAP)”

TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 1

I. BACKGROUND ...... 2

II. BASIC INDICATORS ...... 9 A. Specific mandates on gender equality and rights ...... 10 B. Strategies to integrate a rights-based and gender equality approach...... 16 C. Gender and rights-based approach in sectoral meetings at the ministerial and inter-American committee level ...... 23 D. Specific efforts to implement the IAP (policies, programs and projects)Department for Effective Public Management ...... 24 E. Technical capacity to implement a and gender equality and rights-based approach ...... 29 F. Type of technical support required to move forward in implementing the IAP ...... 31 G. Promotion of the integration of women’s rights and a gender perspective in reports published by the OAS ...... 31 H. Operational Goals with a gender and rights-based perspective ...... 32

III. ACTIONS TAKEN BY OAS ORGANS, AGENCIES AND ENTITIE…………………………32 A. OAS ENTITIES AND AGENCIES………………………………………………………………32 1. Strategic Counsel for Organizational Development and Management for Results………………29 2. Secretariat for Legal Affairs………………………………………………………………………34 3. Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy…………………………………………………………31 4. Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity………………………………………………………35 5. Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI)……………………………………………………..39 6. Secretariat for Multidimensional Security………………………………………………………...48 7. Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs……………………………………………………………….54 8. Secretariat for Administration and Finance (SAF)………………………………………………..58

B. AUTONOMOUS AND DECENTRALIZED ORGANS, AGENCIES & ENTITIES 1. Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)………...60 2. General Directorate the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN)…………………………….. 61 3. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)…………………………………………………... 62 4. Secretariat of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)…………………..64 5. Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)……………………………… 65 6. Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH)………………………………….. 66 7. OAS Retirement and Pension Fund……………………………………………………………. 66 8. Trust for the Americas……………………………………………...... 9. Secretariat of the Administrative Tribunal….…………………………………………………...67 10. Permanent Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM)……………….....67

C. NATIONAL OFFICES………………………………………………………………………….73

IV. CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………………………………………………76 V. RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………………...79 ANNEXES………………………………………………………………………………………….....81

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The “Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality” was adopted by the General Assembly of the OAS in Windsor, Canada, in June 2000, pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1732 (XXX-O/00), “Approval and Implementation of the Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Rights and Gender Equity and Equality,” wherein the Secretary General is asked to submit annual reports to the General Assembly on fulfillment thereof. This report, prepared by the Executive Secretariat of the CIM with input from the departments and other organs of the OAS General Secretariat and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, covers the period from March 2016 and February 2017.

The Executive Secretariat of the CIM sent a communication to all the organs, agencies, and entities of the General Secretariat reminding them of the need to comply with the provisions of the General Assembly resolutions, and requesting them to send the information that made it possible to draft this report. To that end, as with last seven years, the Secretariat attached a questionnaire to this request, prepared by the CIM specifically for the compilation of the inputs for this report.

The level of reply from the areas and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities of the GS/OAS to the questionnaire has remained high, reaching 90.2% in 2015. This indicator is slightly higher than in 2014, when it reached 87.8%, reflecting the upward trend in the level of reply since 2010, when the figure was 78.9%. As for the National Offices, the level of reply to the questionnaire has risen from 50% in 2010 to 85.7% in 2015.

The main conclusions of this questionnaire are summarized below:

a. 17 areas (11 of the GS departments and 6 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities), i.e., 37.8% of all areas queried (45), replied that they had a specific mandate or mandates to advance gender equality and women’s rights in the work areas of the department/unit/agency. Similarly, 48.9% (22) said that they did not and 13.3% (6) did not reply. b. 29 bodies (21 GS departments and 8 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities), i.e., 64.4% of all areas polled (45), replied that that had a strategy to mainstream gender equality and rights in their activities; 24.4% (11) said that they did not have such a strategy; and 17.07% (5) did not reply or offer specifics. Of the national offices, 28.6% (8) indicated that they had a strategy; 28.6% (8) said that they did not, and 43.9% did not answer or offer specifics. c. 44.4% (20 areas) of all GS/OAS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities surveyed indicated that they served as the Technical or Executive Secretariat of inter-American commissions or committees and/or ministerial or similar meetings, compared to the similar figure of 53.6% (22) in 2015. Of these areas, all but two, indicated that the issue of gender equality and women’s rights was a consideration of the inter-American commissions/committees or ministerial meetings. d. 57.8% (18 departments and 8 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities) replied that they had policy(ies), program(s) and/or project(s) to promote gender equality and women’s rights, constituting an increase over previous years (48.8% in 2012 and 56.4% in 2013, 63.4% in 2014 and 2015). This question was also put to the National Offices, 25% (7) of which answered in the affirmative.

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e. 57.8% (26) of the GS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities replied that they had the technical capacity to mainstream gender and women’s rights; 31.1% (14) said that they did not, and 11.1% (5) did not reply or offer specifics. Of the national offices, 25% (7) indicated that they had this technical capacity, 28.3% (8) said that they did not, and 46.4% did not answer or offer specifics. f. The majority of areas replying to the questionnaire indicated that they wished to continue receiving technical support and assistance as well as training from the CIM/OAS to advance the implementation of the IAP. Currently, all secretariats have staff members and consultants trained in gender and rights. g. 51.1%% (14 departments and 9 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities) of the areas that replied indicated that they had promoted the integration of women’s rights and/or a gender perspective in their reports during this period. Additionally, 26.7% (12) indicated that they had not and 20% did not answer the question. h. 44.4% (14 departments and 6 agencies) indicated that the programs, projects, and other activities associated with the 2016 Operational Goals adopted for their department/unit/agency had mainstreamed gender and/or rights; 20% (9) indicated that this was not the case, whereas 28.9% (13) did not reply, and 6.7% (3) did not provide specific information or indicated that the question did not apply.

This report reflects the ongoing commitment and specific actions of the areas comprising the General Secretariat of the OAS (GS/OAS) and the various autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities to promote the mainstreaming of the gender perspective and women’s human rights in their policies, programs, and projects, in keeping with the Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality (IAP or Inter-American Program).

As in previous years, and promoted by the current leadership of the Organization, with the theme “More Rights for More People,” especially noteworthy is the qualitative headway made by the departments of the GS/OAS and the autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities in their work. This headway is reflected not only in their efforts to mainstream a gender and/or women’s human rights perspective in projects and programs, but also in the formulation and implementation of initiatives, projects, and programs specifically designed to improve the situation of women and contribute to their empowerment in different spheres. This process has led, internally, to growing collaboration between the departments of the GS/OAS and the CIM.

Over this same period, it bears noting the “Participatory Assessment on Gender, Rights, and Diversity of the OAS General Secretariat,” carried out at OAS headquarters from November 28 to December 8, 2016. This assessment focused on understanding the progress the Organization has made in promoting these perspectives in its work, so as to create input to develop a Plan of Action to implement the “Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Human Rights, and Diversity,” adopted through Executive Order No. 16-03 of the Secretary General, issued March 7, 2016.

As a result of this participatory process involving the various areas of the GS/OAS and the CIM Executive Secretariat, the terms of this Institutional Policy were agreed. This policy seeks to advance equity and equality in the exercise of rights, equal opportunities, and equal treatment in all GS/OAS work by strengthening its management, culture, and institutional capacities. With the

- 3 - adoption of the policy, the Committee to Follow-up on Implementation of the Policy was established. This committee met three times in 2016 and agreed to conduct the assessment and other components, which are also part of a project to lay the foundation for the implementation of the policy within the GS/OAS. This project was approved by the OAS Project Evaluation Committee (CEP) and submitted to the OAS permanent observer, the People’s Republic of China, for funding. These funds finally financed the first component: a participatory roadmap for implementing the policy (Participatory Assessment on Gender, Rights, and Diversity and the Plan of Action for Policy Implementation).

The Committee to Follow-up on Implementation of the Policy is coordinated by the CIM Executive Secretariat and consists of representatives of the Office of the Secretary General, Strategic Counsel for Organizational Development and Management for Results, Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity, Department of Legal Services, Department of Human Resources, Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Office of the Ombudsperson, and the Staff Association.

Also of note is the adoption of Executive Order No. 16-08 “Alternate Work Arrangements Policy,” effective as of February 1, 2017, which seeks to support staff through greater flexibility in their work schedules, increase job satisfaction, and strengthen staff commitment to the General Secretariat’s mission. The work of the Staff Association in this effort was significant.

The Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization [AG/RES. 1 (L1-E/16)] was adopted as part of the fifty-first special session of the General Assembly, in which gender equity and equality were a cross-cutting theme. Also important was Executive Order No. 16-05, issued August 4, 2016, which mandated the mainstreaming of the principles, policies, and strategies of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the General Secretariat for all initiatives, programs, and projects, and General Secretariat partnership initiatives with other agencies working on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.

Similarly of note for the previous period is the creation of the Office of the Ombudsperson and the approval of Executive Order No. 15-02 “Policy and Conflict Resolution System for Prevention and Elimination of All Forms of Work Harassment,” which adopted Staff Rule 101.8 “Prohibition against Workplace Harassment” and the “Policy and Conflict Resolution System for Prevention and Elimination of All Forms of Work Harassment.”

I. BACKGROUND

In implementation of the mandate contained in resolution AG/RES. 1625 (XXIX-O/99), “Status of Women in the Americas and Strengthening and Modernization of the Inter-American Commission of Women,” in April 2000, a meeting was convened of ministers or of the highest- ranking authorities responsible for policies for the advancement of women in the member states. At that meeting, coordinated by the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), the Ministers adopted the “Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality” (hereinafter IAP or Program).

The Program was adopted byte OAS General Assembly at its regular session held in Windsor, Canada, in June 2000, by resolution AG/RES. 1732 (XXX-O/00), “Adoption and

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Implementation of the Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Rights and Gender Equity and Equality, “in which the Secretary General is requested to present annual reports to the General Assembly on the implementation of the IAP. This report, prepared by the Executive Secretariat of the CIM with input from the departments and other organs of the OAS General Secretariat and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, covers the period from March 2016 through February 2017.

The adoption of the IAP signified the political consensus reached by the OAS member states on the issue of discrimination against women, and the recognition of the conditions of inequality, discrimination, and violence to which women are subjected, as well as the need to promote actions for the advancement of their rights, to combat all forms of discrimination, and to promote equity and equality between women and men from a gender perspective. Since its adoption, the member states, in the framework of the General Assembly, have reiterated their commitment to implementation of the IAP.

The CIM was tasked with implementation of the Program and the Commission was also recognized as the main policy-generating forum for the promotion of women’s rights and gender equity and equality. The objectives and lines of action of the IAP have been consistent with the mandates of the Strategic Plan of Action of the CIM, its Biennial Work Program, and the Plans of Action of the Summit of the Americas.

Subsequently, the CIM, in keeping with its mandates and based on the evaluations of the IAP (CIM/doc.7/10) prepared ten years after its adoption and on the Mechanism to Follow Up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, “Convention of Belém do Pará” (MESECVI), and taking into account the internal consultations on institutional priorities effected with the OAS Secretariats, the CIM has prepared its 2011–2016 Strategic Plan. With this Strategic Plan, adopted by the CIM’s 2011–2012 Executive Committee at its First Regular Session (April 7 and 8, 2011), the CIM sought not only to strengthen its fundamental role as a hemispheric political forum in the area of gender equality and equity, and the human rights of women, but also to contribute to the implementation of the IAP in the light of existing institutional and regional challenges. This plan laid the foundation for results-based management. The principal strategies of the 2011–2016 Strategic Plan and the 2013–2015 Triennial Work Program of the CIM had the coordination and harmonization of the Commission’s actions with those of the OAS, and the institutionalization of a rights-based and gender equality approach in the main forums and programs and in the institutional planning of the Organization. More recently, the adoption of the Strategic Plan 2016-2021 aimed to position the Commission and its work within a broader context of current hemispheric debates currently about the OAS, its relevance, strategic approach, and financial standing. The current strategic plan should prioritize and build on the progress made from the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2011-2016. Also of note is the close relationship between the aforementioned resolution AG/RES. 1732 (XXX-O/00) and resolution AG/RES. 1741 (XXX-O/00), “Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Summits of the Americas,” in which specific recommendations are made for the Third Summit and whereby it is recommended that the Meetings of Ministers or of the Highest-Ranking Authorities Responsible for the Advancement of Women in the Member States be held every four years in order to contribute to the follow-up activities of the Summit. The last Meeting of Ministers (REMIM-IV) was held in November 2011, in San Salvador, El Salvador. At that meeting, a resolution

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(CIM/REMIM-IV/doc.6/11 rev.1) was adopted in which specific language is recommended for inclusion in the document arising from the Sixth Summit to ensure that women’s needs and demands were reflected in the final conclusions of the Summit. That language was forwarded to the Chair of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) and to the national coordinators of each member state.

In the context of the Summits Process, the IAP, since its adoption, has had the support of the Heads of State and Government of the Americas. For the first time ever, the Plan of Action of the Third Summit (Quebec, 2000) incorporated a gender perspective in some of its chapters, with one chapter devoted to gender equality. Moreover, the Declaration of Nuevo Leon of the Special Summit of the Americas (Monterrey, 2004) reiterated the commitment to continue to promote gender equality and equity; while the Fourth Summit (Mar del Plata, 2005) focused on creating decent work and strengthening democratic governance, and reaffirmed the intent to combat discrimination against women in the workplace. The Fifth Summit (Port of Spain, 2009) affirmed the commitment to strengthen institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, including the Convention of Belém do Pará and its the funding, as well as encouraging the full and equal participation of women in the political life and decision-making structures of our countries at all levels through laws and public policies that promote respect for women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as gender equality, equity and parity.

At the Sixth Summit (Cartagena, 2012), the Heads of State and Government resolved to implement, in the area of citizen security and transnational organized crime, policies containing measures to prevent, investigate, punish, penalize, and eradicate sexual and gender based violence; to strengthen the administration of public security by governmental agencies through promotion of citizen and community participation, institutional coordination, and the training and education of civilian and police personnel, with full respect for the rule of law, gender equality, and human rights; and to strengthen our efforts to prevent and fight the smuggling of migrants and trafficking of persons, particularly of women, children and adolescents. With regard to poverty, inequality, and inequity, they resolved to deepen inter-American cooperation in the area of development and social protection with a view to strengthening human and institutional capacity-building efforts and generating a skilled work force, with a gender perspective and giving attention to vulnerable groups; and to take specific steps to improve access to quality education for girls, especially in rural areas, and as well as promoting improved capacities of schools to reduce the barriers to regular attendance for women and girls.

At the Seventh Summit (Panama City, 2015), the Heads of State and Government indicated their intent, in the area of citizen participation, “To promote and strengthen economic, political, social and cultural empowerment for women, ensure the protection and guarantee of all their rights, and redouble our collective efforts to end discrimination, child, early and forced marriage, recognizing that gender equity and equality is necessary and legitimate for the sustainable and democratic advancement of our societies.” Also, in the area of migration, the Heads of State and Government indicated their intent “To strengthen programs to prevent and fight illicit smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, particularly of women, children and adolescents, as well as to generate, review and amend laws, where appropriate, against these crimes so that, in their enforcement, they will render assistance and protection to victims of trafficking and to promote cooperation among states to that end, in accordance with the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.” In the area

- 6 - of security, they indicated their intent “To strengthen efforts and prioritize actions to effectively address violence against women and girls, particularly through the promotion of initiatives to empower women, and the implementation of effective public policies focused on achieving this goal, including measures to prevent, investigate, punish, and eradicate such violence; training for public officials at national and local levels; implementation of programs to educate, sensitize, and raise awareness about this phenomenon; and the collection of data and statistics within, as applicable, the framework of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará) and its follow-up mechanism.”

In its Section IV.2, paragraphs 2.1.3 and 2.1.4, the IAP recommends that the governments of the member states adopt the measures needed to integrate a gender perspective into the execution of programs and activities by all organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS and to provide them with the necessary training. In May 2001 the OAS Secretary General signed an agreement with the Canadian International Development Agency (ACDI/CIDA) for the execution of the “Project on Integration of Gender Perspective within the OAS,” to be coordinated by the OAS and the CIM. Two hundred General Secretariat staff members were trained in a first phase of this project from February 2002 to December 2003, particularly those charged with the implementation of programs and policies. In a second phase, from October 2005 to August 2006, seven workshops were held in specific areas, in which 125 staff members received training. This stage provided tools in response to specific needs in different areas of the Secretariat. A handbook on the integration of a gender perspective was written for the organization’s personnel, with tools for gender analysis. Document CIM/doc.13/06,“Report on the Implementation of the IAP,” provides details regarding the results of the first two phases of this effort.

Subsequently, in 2008, as part of the 2009–2011 OAS/CIDA Cooperation Plan, Canada approved funding to implement the project “Integrating Gender Analysis and Gender Equality and Equity as Crosscutting Themes and Objectives of all OAS Programs,” which constituted the third phase of the earlier initiative (OAS Gender Program). Project components included on-site and virtual training, and development of a community of practice, and gender indicators. The first three components were to be executed by CIM, and the fourth component by the Department of Planning and Evaluation (DPE).

That on-site training was conducted in 2010 with assistance from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), through its gender, society, and policies area. Preparation for this training included a survey on training needs in the field of gender for OAS staff, the preliminary results of which were distributed to the Secretariats for comment. This survey was also useful to learn the extent of progress and sensitivity in the areas with regard to gender mainstreaming in their everyday tasks. This training stage was launched at OAS headquarters in February 2010, and was attended by the President of the CIM, the Secretary General, the Permanent Representative of Canada, the CIM Executive Secretary, other OAS secretaries and directors, and FLACSO experts.

On-site training in 2010 was conducted as gender workshops for Department of Human Resources staff and for prospective facilitators, and three specialized sessions were held for Secretariat for Integral Development professionals on the topic of competitiveness; for Secretariat of Political Affairs staff on civil registration and electoral observation; and for Secretariat for Multidimensional Security staff on the topic of trafficking in persons. Eighty-four staff members (62

- 7 - women and 22 men) received training. The DPE also participated; over this period it assisted in the preparation of a manual on gender mainstreaming in the OAS project cycle.

A gender training guide was prepared with the support of FLACSO for participants and facilitators, based on the onsite training held in 2010 and the training materials developed for the program in 2011. This guide was used in conjunction with the abovementioned DPE handbook for developing the CIM/OAS virtual course “Gender Equality and Rights Perspective in Policies, Programs, and Projects.” This course is geared towards building capacities related to the gender and human rights issues of the women working on the GS/OAS staff and other organizations associated with formulating and implementing policies, programs, and projects. Since its launch in January 2013, the course has been given eight times, in collaboration with the OAS Educational Portal of the Americas. The nine-week course has trained 748 people throughout the region, including 89 in GS/OAS secretariats. A revised version of the course was launched during the two courses held in 2016, in which 180 people participated (162 women and 18 men).. The OAS personnel that has participated include teams from the Inter-American Program of Judicial Facilitators, the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP-OAS), and departments of all OAS secretariats, including the Department of Planning and Evaluation (DPE). All OAS personnel, including consultants, have received scholarships.

During this period, a second virtual course was developed and made available to the region, in partnership with the Educational Portal of the Americas, under the OAS Gender Program – “Strategic Planning with a Gender Focus.” This ten-week course was developed based on the sub- regional CIM/OAS workshops on the topic held in previous years as part of a hemispheric project on gender and decent work (in cooperation with CIDA 2009-2012), with the participation of the National Machineries for the Advancement of Women and the various ministries of labor. Thirty people from throughout the region participated in the first course (25 women and five men).

The OAS Gender Community of Practice (CoP), whose meetings have mostly been onsite, has been partnering with the Educational Portal of the Americas to develop a more modern online platform. The CoP debuted—on the occasion of the launch of the online course in 2013—via a discussion and experience-sharing session on gender mainstreaming and a rights-based approach at the OAS, which was streamed live in December 2012. During that session, a video welcome by the OAS Secretary General was played, and opening remarks were delivered by the Executive Secretary of the CIM, Ambassador Carmen Moreno Toscano; in addition, OAS officials gave presentations. During 2015, the CoP held on-site meetings, including forums for discussion and exchange with eminent experts on gender and women’s rights of the region. These meetings include one held on September 29, 2015, with the President of the CIM and Minister for Women of Costa Rica, Ms. Alejandra Mora Mora; the then Chief of Staff of the Secretary General; and the President of the Asociación Civil Comunicación para la Igualdad, Ms. Sandra Chaher. The members of the CoP made important contributions to the draft OAS Institutional Policy for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights, as well as the Participatory Audit on Gender, Diversity, and Rights process recently conducted at the OAS.

As regards efforts to institutionalize a gender and women’s rights perspective in the policy, project, and program cycle of the OAS, the ongoing advice and technical assistance in the area of gender and rights has been strengthened that is provided by the CIM to the GS/OAS entities and any others of the inter-American system that so request; as has the active participation by the CIM in

- 8 - specific projects and activities carried out in collaboration with those entities. In addition, collaboration between the CIM and the DPE has been stepped up through participation by the Executive Secretariat of the CIM in the Working Group of the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC), and on the PEC itself.

Of note is the adoption of the Institutional Policy on Gender Equity and Equality, Diversity and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS, by Executive Order No. 16-03 of March 7, 2016. The outcome of a participatory process during the period between the different GS/OAS areas and the Executive Secretariat of the CIM, consensus was reached on the terms of this Policy, which aims to promote equality and equity in the exercise of rights, equal opportunity, and equal treatment in all work done by GS/OAS by strengthening its management, culture, and institutional capacities.

Also of note is the creation of the Office of the Ombudsperson in the Organization, and the adoption of Executive Order 15-02, titled “Policy and Conflict Resolution System for Prevention and Elimination of All Forms of Workplace Harassment,” issued on October 15, 2015, whereby it adopted Staff Rule 101.8, “Prohibition Against Workplace Harassment,” and the “Policy and Conflict Resolution System for Prevention and Elimination of All Forms of Workplace Harassment.”

Additionally, of note are changes in the structure of the GS/OAS by Executive Order 08-01 Rev. 9, “Structure of the General Secretariat,” adopted on December 11, 2015, which was also taken into account in preparing this report.

More recently, it bears noting the “Participatory Assessment on Gender, Rights and Diversity of the OAS General Secretariat,” carried out in the GS/OAS from November 28 to December 7, 2016. This audit focused on understanding the progress the Organization has made in promoting these perspectives in its work, so as to create input to develop a Plan of Action to implement the “Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Human Rights, and Diversity,” adopted through Executive Order No. 16-03 of the Secretary General, issued March 7, 2016.

With the adoption of the policy, the Committee to Follow-up on Implementation of the Policy was established. This committee met three times in 2016 and agreed to conduct the audit and other actions based thereon, which are also part of a project to lay the foundation for the implementation of the policy within the OAS. During this period, this project, which was developed by the CIM and later approved by the CEP, was submitted to the permanent observer, the People’s Republic of China, for funding. With this seed contribution, project implementation began, specifically, the development of the Plan of Action to implement the policy.

The Committee to Follow-up is coordinated by the CIM Executive Secretariat and consists of representatives of the Office of the Secretary General, Strategic Counsel for Organizational Development and Management for Results, Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity, Department of Legal Services, Department of Human Resources, Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Office of the Ombudsperson, and the Staff Association.

The audit, coordinated by the CIM Executive Secretariat, began on November 28 with a meeting held by the Secretary General with GS/OAS directors, including the Assistant Secretary General, secretaries, directors, and advisors. The audit was based on an OAS/CIM participatory methodology developed and applied in social development ministries in three countries of the region

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(Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay), and tailored to the OAS context and needs. It included: (i) three participatory workshops for each OAS secretariat, other agencies, and CoP staff; (ii) group interviews with the directors of each secretariat, staff for the offices of the Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, and the Staff Association; and (iii) individual interviews with the SG, the ASG, chiefs of staff of the SG and ASG, and secretaries. Interviews were also held with independent bodies, including – in addition to the CIM Executive Secretariat, which coordinated the process – the Office of the Ombudsperson, Office of the Inspector General, the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Secretariat of the Administrative Tribunal, The Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), and the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN). Also of note is the adoption of Executive Order No. 16-08 of the Secretary General “Alternate Work Arrangements Policy,” effective as of February 1, 2017, which seeks to support staff through greater flexibility in their work schedules, increase job satisfaction, and strengthen staff commitment to the General Secretariat’s mission. The work of the Staff Association in this effort was significant. The Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization (AG/RES. 1 (L1-E/16)) was adopted during this period as part of the fifty-first special session of the General Assembly, in which gender equity and equality were a cross-cutting theme. Also important was Executive Order No. 16- 04 “Institutional Policy on Disaster Risk Management,” issued in August 2016, which will serve as a guide for GS/OAS efforts on the integration of disaster risk management into all its secretariats, departments, offices, and other agencies, as called for in the policy document. Of similar importance is Executive Order 16-05 issued in August 2016 mandating the mainstreaming of the principles, policies, and strategies of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals within the GS/OAS for all initiatives, programs, and projects, and General Secretariat partnership initiatives with other agencies working on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.

II. BASIC INDICATORS By the most recent resolution on the IAP, resolution AG/RES. 2831 (XLIV-O/14), “Promotion of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality and Strengthening of the Inter-American Commission of Women,” adopted by the OAS General Assembly in 2014, the Secretary General is urged to continue, with support from the CIM, promoting and working on full implementation of the IAP so as to mainstream a perspective of women’s human rights and gender equity and equality in all OAS programs, activities, and policies; promote the integration of a perspective of women’s human rights and gender equity and equality in the annual operational goals of the departments, units, and offices of the OAS; promote the inclusion of women’s human rights and a gender equity and equality perspective in reports published by the OAS; and to report, through the Permanent Council, to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth regular session on the implementation of this resolution. Between November 4 and 9, 2016, the Executive Secretariat of the CIM sent a communication to all organs, agencies, and entities of the General Secretariat reminding them of the need to comply with the provisions of the General Assembly resolutions, and requesting them to send the information that has made it possible to prepare this report. To that end, as it has for the last seven years, the Secretariat attached to this request a questionnaire prepared by the CIM and specifically designed to collect the input for this report. The questionnaire has remained essentially the same since the first year it was launched, which has facilitated better identification of trends and needs.

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For third period, a question has been included about the 2016 Operational Goals approved by the GS/OAS departments/units/agencies and the programs, projects, and other efforts associated with said goals that incorporate a gender and/or rights-based perspective. This was done to promote the mainstreaming of these perspectives in the Organization’s annual operational goals. As can be seen below, the 12-question questionnaire was sent to the directors of 33 GS departments/units and 12 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities. An abbreviated version with seven questions was also sent to the OAS national offices. (The questionnaires can be found in Annex 2). Replies were received from 29 departments/units and 11 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities and from 57.1% of the National Offices. As shown below, of the 40 replies received from the departments and the autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, 20 indicated that they served as the Technical or Executive Secretariat of an inter-American committees and/or ministerial or similar meetings. Of these, 18 replied that the issue of gender equality and women’s rights was present in some measure in their work. (See page 23) (Annex 1 contains a summary of all the replies received).

Body No. of questionnaires sent No. of questionnaires returned % replies

GS departments 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Autonomous. & 34 32 29 30 30 33 26 27 25 26 27 29 76,5 84,4 86,2 86,7 90,0 87,9 decent. agencies Total 8 9 10 11 11 12 8 9 9 10 11 11 100 100 90,0 90,9 100 91,7 questionnaire 1 National offices 42 41 39 41 41 45 34 36 34 36 38 40 81,0 88,0 87,2 87,8 92,8 88,9 Total 31 28 28 28 28 28 16 14 14 22 24 16 51,6 50,0 50,0 78,6 85,7 57,1 questionnaire 2 31 28 28 28 28 28 16 14 14 22 24 16 51,6 50,0 50,0 78,6 85,7 57,1

Reply rates by OAS bodies to the questionnaire maintain trend of previous year, with rates rising from 78.9% in 2010 to 88.9% in 2016. The rate of reply for the national offices was 57.1%.

A. Specific mandates on gender equality and rights When asked whether in addition to the IAP, they have (a) specific mandate(s) to advance gender equality and women’s rights in the areas of the department/unit/agency under their responsibility, 11 of the GS departments/units and 6 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, i.e., 37.8% of the bodies surveyed (45), answered in the affirmative, i.e., that they had a specific mandate. By the same token, 48.9% (22) said that they did not while 13.3% (6) did not reply. The following bodies have specific mandates on gender:

The departments of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI) had the “Strategic Plan for Partnership for Integral Development 2006–2009,” which was in place until October 31, 2016, when the “Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization” was adopted. The Strategic Plan addresses the empowerment of women, their full participation in development, and equal opportunities for them to exercise leadership, all of which are central to integral development and the elimination of inequalities. More recently, the Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization, which falls under the development pillar, included gender equality and equity among its cross-cutting strategic guidelines for the relevant actions carried out by the GS/OAS under this

- 11 - pillar.1/ Además del Strategic Plan for Partnership and the current Comprehensive Strategic Plan, SEDI’s three departments—the Department of Economic Development (DED), the Department of Human Development, Education, and Employment (DHDEE), and the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD)—have specific mandates in this area, adopted at ministerial meetings and sessions of the OAS General Assembly. Likewise, the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP), which is part of this secretariat, has specific mandates.

Do you have (a) specific mandate (s) to advance gender equality and women’s rights?

Through the Department of Economic Development, in science and technology, the Plan of Action of Guatemala, Inclusive Innovation: Key to Reducing Inequality and Increasing Productivity in the Region, was adopted at the Fourth Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology within the Framework of CIDI, Guatemala, March 10-11, 2015, whereby they agreed to step up efforts to mainstream the gender perspective across the four pillars of this Plan of Action; promote the presence of women in leadership and decision-making positions in the areas of science, technology, and innovation, as well as equal working conditions; strengthen policies to encourage women to join and remain in scientific, technological, and engineering professions; and promote measures to enable women to participate equally in the development of the knowledge society and have equal access to its benefits. In the area of competitiveness in the context of the Eighth Annual Americas Competitiveness Forum (Santo Domingo, 2011), the Competitiveness Authorities and Councils of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) adopted, among the principles for advancement toward a more competitive and prosperous region—as part of the Consensus of Santo Domingo—the principle of promoting gender equality.

As concerns sustainable development, a number of commitments have been made since 2007 to promote public participation in all sectors of society, including women, which the area indicates it has been doing through implementation of the Inter-American Strategy for the Promotion of Public Participation in Decision-Making for Sustainable Development. For its part, the DSD has specific

1 Resolution AG/RES.1 (L1-E/16) Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization, Annex 1: Matrix with Strategic Lines and Objectives, Development pillar. Addopted at the Fiftieth One Special Session of the General Assembly of the OAS, October 31, 2016.

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mandates on gender in disaster management that have come from sustainable development authorities and from the CIM.

In the area of Education, the VIII Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education held in Panama in 2015, under the theme "Building an Inter-American Agenda: Education with Equity for Prosperity", resolved, inter alia, to adopt mandates on quality education, inclusive and with equity; and to consider, among the cross-cutting elements of the Inter-American Educational Agenda (IEA), the promotion of mainstreaming gender perspective and the principles of equity and inclusion in the design of policies, strategies and programs on education. The IEA was adopted through the Declaration of The Bahamas at the IX Meeting of Ministers of Education, held in Nassau, Bahamas February 16-17, 2017.

In the area of labor, in 2015 and 2013, in the framework of the XIX and XVIII Inter- American Conferences of Ministers of Labor, held in Cancun, Mexico and Medellin, Colombia, respectively, mandates in the area of gender equality and women’s rights in the workplace were reaffirmed, with firm commitments in the framework of their declarations and plans of action intended, among other things, to mainstream gender in labor and employment policies, eliminate discrimination, harassment, and violence based on gender or sexual orientation, and strike a balance between work and family responsibilities.

In the context of the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP), the states, as part of its Lima Action Plan 2012–2013, paid special attention to the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility and Women in Ports, through which significant progress has been made within the CIP in the area of gender. This commitment was reiterated in 2014 in the Plan of Action of Cartagena 2014-2015 of the CIP, which reaffirms that the role and participation of women in port operations is of the utmost importance and establishes specific actions to take in that regard.

 In the Strategic Counsel for Organizational Development and Management for Results, the Department of Planning and Evaluation (DPE) emphasizes General Assembly mandates pertaining to the IAP that call for systematic incorporation of the gender perspective in international instruments and procedural mechanisms in the framework of the OAS, and on ministerial agendas; and those whereby the Secretary General is urged to continue, with support from the CIM, promoting and working on full implementation of the IAP so as to achieve integration of a gender perspective into all programs, activities, and policies of the Organization of American States (OAS); The DPE also refers to more recent mandates associated with the IAP [AG/RES. 2831 (XLIV-O/14)], whereby the Secretary General is urged to continue to implement jointly with the CIM the gender analysis training project at the OAS, targeted especially at senior staff in management positions and new staff members who work in priority areas.

 The Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy, the Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions refers to the mandate of the OAS Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS), of December 15, 2014, to carry out broad and flexible monitoring of the peace policy of the Colombian State regarding illegal armed groups, incorporating in all work areas a differential approach to gender, ethnicity, and age. The Sixth Additional Protocol to the Agreement was signed on September 27, 2016 to extend the mandate through December 31, 2018 (it had been set to expire, according to the Fifth Protocol, in January 2018).

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 Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity: noted the Declaration, “Commitments for Social Development. Equity, and Social Inclusion: Overcoming Inequalities towards a More Inclusive Societies,” approved at the III Meeting of Ministers and High Level Authorities of Social Development, under CIDI auspices (July 2016). Article 4 of this declaration promotes gender mainstreaming in social development policies, bearing in mind the substantial contributions that women make to sustainable development, economic growth, elimination of poverty, and reduction of inequality, including in their unpaid work in the home and as care providers; and the need for women’s empowerment in order to eliminate gender inequality and achieve the full exercise of their rights. The SARE also addresses the “Standards for the Preparation of Periodic Report Pursuant to the Protocol of San Salvador” (AG/RES. 2074 (XXXV-O/05) and the appendix to the resolution. The SARE also serves as the Technical Secretariat for the Working Group to Examine the Periodic Reports of the States Parties to the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, “Protocol of San Salvador” (PSS). Article 3 of the protocol stipulates the “Obligation of Nondiscrimination” for reasons of “sex […] or any other social condition.”

Under the area of persons with disabilities, of note are mandates arising from the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, “Convention of Belém do Pará,” as well as the Declaration of the First Summit of the Americas (1994) on meeting the needs of the population, especially the needs of women and the most vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples, the disabled, children, the aged, and minorities. The area also referred to the Program of Action for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (2006-2016), in connection with preventing, prohibiting, and punishment maltreatment, sexual abuse, and exploitation, in particular within the family, of persons with disabilities, especially children and women; and ensuring access by persons with disabilities, especially women, children, and older persons, to social assistance programs and anti-poverty strategies. Also noteworthy is the Extension of the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (2016-2026). SARE also works on matters related to OAS Executive Order 16-05, which mandates the mainstreaming of the principles, policies, and strategies of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs within the OAS. SARE has been promoting partnerships to support the coordination of organizational efforts, experiences, and knowledge to support member states in meeting the SDGs, including gender equality.

 In the Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs, the Department of Effective Public Management mentions commitments in the framework of the Inter-American Program for Universal Civil Registry and the Right to Identity. The Department’s work to address this is carried out primarily through the Universal Civil Identity Project of the Americas (PUICA), in which efforts are being made to mainstream a gender perspective.

 Within the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) Plan of Action, adopted in November 2016, aims to formulate, implement, evaluate, and update national drug policies and/or strategies that will be comprehensive and balanced, based on evidence that includes a cross-cutting human rights perspective, consistent with the obligations of parties under international law, with a gender approach and emphasizing development with social inclusion. It calls for coordinating state national drug policies and/or strategies that address fundamental causes and consequences of the drug problem. (3.4 Implementation of measures that promote equal access to the administration of justice and due process with a gender sensitive

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approach). CICAD since 2010 has had a direct mandate regarding gender in its Hemispheric Drug Strategy, adopted by the OAS General Assembly in its fortieth regular session in Lima: “3. Policies, measures, and interventions to address the world drug problem should take gender issues into account;” this is also the case with regard to treatment models (point 21), which are to consider the needs of different population groups, taking into account factors such as gender, age, cultural context, and vulnerability. Regarding public security, the Meeting of Ministers of this sector (MISPA), for the first time, at their third meeting (Trinidad and Tobago, November 2011), discussed the gender perspective. The “Port of Spain Recommendations for Police Management” were approved, underscoring the need to continue promoting police reform processes in the Americas from a gender perspective. This constitutes a step forward, politically, since the launch of the MISPA process in 2008. At MISPA V (Lima, Peru, November 2015), the Inter-American Program for the Prevention of Violence and Crime was adopted, one of whose guidelines is to mainstream a gender perspective in all its initiatives. The Department of Public Security also refers to the Second Work Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere 2015-2018, adopted in 2014, and implemented through its incorporation in the Inter-American Program for the Prevention of Violence and Crime.

 At the Secretariat for Administration and Finance, the Department of Human Resources (DHR) refers to specific gender mandates. The DHR mentions General Assembly mandates related, on the one hand, to the amendments to Chapter III (Personnel) of the General Standards, adopted in October 2014 [AG/RES. 1 (XLVIII-E/14)], with respect to maintaining gender equity and equality in every phase of the recruitment process; other mandates requesting the GS to distribute to the member states each quarter an up-to-date register of the staff, by dependency, including statistics by gender (CP/doc.5081/14); in addition to those mandates requesting the GS to present quarterly administrative and financial management reports to the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) that contain information on human resource management, including information on new appointments, trust positions, staff transfers, reclassifications, resignations, and terminations, and the budgetary impact of these changes, as well as gender distribution and geographic representation [AG/RES. 1 (XLII-E/11)]; and the distribution to member states of an up-to-date Register of Staff Members that includes statistics broken down by gender, grade and step, country of origin, duty station, fund and projects financing the post, date of entry, etc. [AG/RES. 2755 (XLII- O/12)].

In addition to the CIM, six of the 11 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities surveyed by CIM/OAS replied that they had specific mandates:

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has designed a strategy to address matters pertaining to gender equality from a human rights perspective, as part of its mandate to promote and protect human rights in the Americas. In order to implement this strategy, the IACHR created the Special Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women in 1994 to review the extent to which the legislation and practices of the OAS member states impair women’s rights and to uphold the general obligations of equality and nondiscrimination enshrined in international and regional human rights instruments, such as the American Convention and the Convention of Belém do Pará. Specifically, among the mandates/commitments, in addition to the latter, it points to those emanating from the IACHR, the American Convention on Human Rights, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, and other instruments and decisions of the IACHR in individual cases. The IACHR also works through its Rapporteurship on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Persons to address matters of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and body diversity.

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Its creation is 2014 demonstrates the IACHR’s commitment to strengthening and enhancing its work to protect, promote, and monitor the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex persons.

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) adopted several mandates in this area in 2015, including resolution PCC.I/RES. 243 (XXVI-15), “Collaboration Request between CITEL and the Inter-American Commission of Women to Address Issues Related to the Benefit of the Use of ICT´s as Tools for the Empowerment of Women, Particularly to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women,” and resolution PCC.I/RES. 258, “2016-2018 Roadmap for the Development of Projects, and Human and Financial Resources to Promote Women’s Access, Use, and Leadership in ICT Development,” adopted at the XXVI and XXVII Meetings of Permanent Consultative Committee I: Telecommunications/Information and Communication Technologies (PCC.I), respectively, held in Lima, in May 2015, and in Washington, D.C., in September 2015. Prior to these resolutions, CITEL adopted the Declaration of Santo Domingo [CITEL RES. 69 (VI- 14)], established a Rapporteurship on Broadband for universal access and social inclusion and, in that framework, pledged to pay special attention to women and children, among other people, with the aim of bringing about digital inclusion and ensuring that ICTs facilitate their development. Likewise, the Strategic Plan for CITEL for 2014–2018 includes among its strategic targets “Reduction of the digital divide and inequality, particularly in underserved areas and in regards to gender and to persons with disabilities.” These mandates are additional to that arising from the XIX Meeting of Permanent Consultative Committee I, at which it is resolved, in connection with the gender issue in the Americas region, to create a “Program for the Inclusion of Women and Girls in ICT” [PCC.I/RES. 194 (XIX-11)], and instructs the Secretariat of CITEL to forward this resolution to international organizations and to other organizations specialized in this area for linkage of this proposal with current and emerging issues in the gender perspective area. This mandate complements that adopted by the Permanent Executive Committee, which instructs the Coordination for the Development of Human Resources with the organization of the necessary activities to promote gender equality. Since 2003, the CITEL has had guidelines in place aimed at promoting gender equality [COM/CITEL RES.160 (XIII-03)].

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) adopted its Institutional Gender Policy in November 2016. It has had a mandate to incorporate the gender perspective in institutional policies, which was adopted in 1999 in the framework of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IICA/JIA/Res.342 (X-O/99), whereby it resolved to incorporate the gender perspective into IICA institutional system and request the Director General to make the legal, regulatory and operational changes needed to comply with this mandate. The Director General of IICA is also requested to ensure that the Institute’s gender policy is also expressed in the institution’s action and instruments for technical cooperation. It further requests the General Director of IICA to ensure that the Institute’s gender policy is also expressed in the institution’s action and instruments for technical cooperation. In 2010, its Executive Committee approved a 2010–2014 Medium-term Plan, adopting as one of its principles, equity and social inclusion through capacity building and knowledge management.

The Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) adopted two relevant mandates in 2016: “Mainstreaming a Gender Approach in the Comprehensive Protection of the Rights of Children” (CD/RES. 12 (91-R/16)), which mandates its Directorate General to partner with the CIM and civil society to include the gender approach as a tool to be used throughout all phases of the project cycle;

- 16 - in evaluations and assessments related to guaranteeing the rights of children; to promote the effective integration of the mainstreaming of a gender approach in all phases of actions taken in the existing systems for the comprehensive protection of children throughout the region; and to promote the exchange of good practices and technical assistance as mechanisms to bolster the work of IIN and member states on gender issues, to guarantee the rights of children. The second mandate is established in resolution CD/RES. 11 (91-R/16) “Sexual Exploitation, Smuggling of, and Trafficking in Children.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in addition to the mandates reported for earlier periods, for 2015, refers to the “Evaluation of the Plan of Action for Implementing the Gender Equality Policy and Proposed Strategic Lines of Action” (document CD54/INF/2). The report summarizes, ten years since the adoption of PAHO’s Gender Equality Policy, in 2005, the progress achieved and analyzes the final evaluation of the implementation of that Policy through the 2009- 2014 plan of action.

B. Strategies to integrate a rights-based and gender equality approach

When asked whether their department/unit/agency has any strategy to integrate a rights- based and gender equality approach in its activities, as shown in the following graph, 29 bodies (21 GS departments and 8 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities), i.e., 64.4% of all the bodies queried(45), replied in the affirmative, compared to 70.73% (in 2015), 63.4% (in 2014) 66.7% (in 2013), 58.5% (in 2012), and 60% (in 2010); 24.4% (11) said that they did not have any, and17.07% (5) did not reply or give specifics. Of the National Offices, 28,6% (8) answered in the affirmative, compared to 39.3% (11) in 2015; while 28.6% (8) said that they did not and 43.9% (12) did not reply or provide specific information. It must be clarified that several bodies indicated that their strategies were not formal and were being introduced gradually into their activities.

The departments that say they do not have any strategy to integrate a gender and rights-based approach into their activities include: the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Information and Technology Services, the Department of Procurement Services, and the Department of General Services. The number of departments without a strategy is estimated to be higher since some departments did not reply to the questionnaire and it is not known whether they have a strategy or not.

Of the departments that said they did not have a strategy, the Department of Procurement Services, replying the question about the technical support it would need from the CIM, indicated that it would like training on any steps taken by other international organizations in the area of procurement to ensure the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the procurement area.

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Do you have any strategy to integrate a rights-based and gender equality approach into your entity’s activities?

Next to be noted are bodies that have more formal strategies, though not necessarily a formulated one, which in some instances address specific mandates or commitments approved by the sector, which are: the Section on Labor and Employment (strategic guidelines adopted by its ministerial meeting, for furthering the integration of the gender perspective in ministries of labor); the Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO) (incorporating the gender perspective into the election observation methodology and the methodology for observing political financing models in elections in the countries of the region); the Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions (through different actions promoted by the gender area of MAPP/OAS, and the Culture of Peace Program of the Peace Fund; the Department of Planning and Evaluation (incorporating the gender perspective in the OAS project cycle); the Department of International Law (DIL) and the Department of Economic Development (DESD) (through specific projects and in the context of ministerial-level meetings); in the social area, the Department of Social Inclusion (through Participatory Gender Assessments in the framework of the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN), and different actions to promote the mainstreaming and intersectionality of the rights approach; the IACHR (through the work of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and the Rapporteurship on the Rights of LGBTI Persons); CITEL (coordination of efforts, as mandated by its Executive Committee); the CIP (through the Subcommittee on Women in Ports); PAHO (implementation of the Strategic Plan 2014-2019, whereby gender equality is reaffirmed as a priority (crosscutting) theme for the Secretariat at the member states);and the PADF (through its Strategic Plan).

National offices: 28.6% (8) of the National Offices (28) during this period, compared to 39.3% (11) in 2015, and 35.7% (10) in 2014, said that they had a strategy to further gender equality and rights, although their strategies were not formal and were being introduced through the promotion of these matters and the integration of this perspective in the projects and activities they were involved in. In addition to these Offices, at least another eight, despite indicating that they had no strategy in this area, referred to actions they were carrying out to promote gender equality in their work.

The replies provided the GS/OAS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities are summarized below:

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 In the Strategic Counsel for Organizational Development and Management for Results, the Department of Planning and Evaluation (DPE), as the department charged with developing tools and procedures to facilitate project management based on results, has responsibility for promoting gender mainstreaming in project formulation, design, monitoring, and evaluation processes. To that end, the DPE maintains a close working relationship with CIM. For its part, the Department of Press and Communication strives to promote gender equality, including the dissemination of information in this area. The Department of International Affairs promotes GS/OAS projects to advance gender equality and rights in member states and within the GS/OAS, with a view to obtaining potential funding from permanent observers. Part of this work has entailed strengthening its relationship with the CIM. The Organizational Development Section is currently developing a program that would include integrating the gender and rights approach into its activities.

 In the Secretariat for Legal Affairs (SLA), the Department of International Law (DIL) has as a horizontal policy the incorporation of a gender perspective in all its programs, projects, and activities and in the technical advice it provides. The leadership of the Department has required all its staff and independent contractors to include the gender perspective as a crosscutting theme in their activities and has promoted training thereon on the courses offered by the CIM. Women’s participation and effective inclusion of the gender perspective are reflected in all of the Department’s activities, courses, seminars, symposia, and workshops. Gender parity has also been emphasized at DLI events. For its part, the Department of Legal Cooperation noted in the previous period, that OAS efforts against corruption, through the Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC), demonstrates that it promotes gender equality, given that the harmful effects of corruption have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable segments of society, including women. In that opportunity, it noted that women are involved in MESICIC activities through their participation as principal experts on the Committee of Experts; it does not, however, refer to any specific strategy.

 In the Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy, the Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO) has established a policy for the promotion of awareness in gender topics for its staff and for the members of the OAS Electoral Observation Missions (EOMs). The gender perspective is being included in the formulation and implementation of projects. Efforts are being made to disaggregate the information about the EOMs by gender and to expand the participation of women in the structure of the EOMs, especially in decision-making positions. DECO has methodologies for both electoral observation and the observation of political financing in elections—each with a gender approach—that have now been implemented in the region. The Department of Democratic Sustainability and Special Missions, via the OAS Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS), implemented a strategic plan 2011–2013, with a gender approach incorporated during its preparation. The MAPP/OAS’s gender area, created in 2012, provides support to the Mission’s different thematic areas for incorporating a gender and women’s rights-based approach in the Mission’s support, monitoring, and verification activities. As regards the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH), each of its components (prevention and fighting against corruption, criminal justice reform, political-electoral reform, and public security) calls for incorporating into its activities the promotion of women’s human rights and

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training on the topic. The selection process for hiring local and international staff strives for gender balance.

Under the efforts of the OAS Office in the Belize-Guatemala Adjacency Zone, as part of the implementation of resettlement projects, special attention is given to ensuring greater protection and participation of women. In this connection, the Peace Fund has striven to mainstream gender in all of its activities and projects.

 In SEDI, every one of its bodies indicated that they had some strategy: the Department of Human Development, Education, and Employment monitors gender distribution in its education, scholarship/fellowship, and student loan programs in order to ensure equitable distribution. It supports scholarship and education programs that advance the gender perspective in a variety of fields. The Rowe Fund gathers statistics disaggregated by gender and monitors the gender balance among applicants. In the labor area, strategic guidelines were adopted by the Conference of Ministers for the purpose of furthering gender mainstreaming in this sector. In the area of labor and employment, the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor adopted strategic lines to further the mainstreaming of gender in the ministries of labor and on the labor agenda. The Department of Economic Development is integrating a gender equality and rights- based approach in its programs and projects, on the agendas for ministerial meetings, and has projects specifically targeted at reinforcing the economic empowerment of women through micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The Department of Social Inclusion, in an effort to promote social development with equity, emphasizes protection of the rights of groups in vulnerable situations because of age, gender, disability, and/or ethnic or geographic origin. In the labor area, strategic measures have been adopted by the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor to incorporate the gender perspective into that sector’s ministries and into the labor agenda. Under consumer protection, as part of the work of the Network for Consumer Safety and Health (RCSS), special attention has been paid to the gender perspective, taking it into account in the design of workshops and training courses.

In ports, the strategy of the CIP is set out in the Work Plan of the Technical Advisory Group on Corporate Social Responsibility and Women in Ports. This takes shape through the implementation of a gender quota in the scholarship program and training courses offered by the CIP, in order to expand access to women in the sector to high-level training programs. It also entails inviting women experts in the port sector as speakers at hemispheric technical seminars, as well as using inclusive language in communications and developing a database of women professionals and experts in the port sector.

 In the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity (SARE), has a strategy in place to include the gender approach in its programs and projects. In part, this strategy aims to propose relevant projects and programs based on a cross-cutting human rights approach and to lend visibility to the differentiated impact of projects for women. Against this same backdrop and in order to work towards its objective of promoting social development with equity, SARE has established among the priorities for its Department of Social Inclusion (DSI) emphasizing the protection of the rights of at-risk groups in society, on the basis of age, gender, disability, and/or ethnic or geographic origin. To this end, the SARE/DSI strategy is based on the mainstreaming and intersectionality of the rights approach. In addition to promoting specific projects and programs on gender, this requires integrating this same approach into all its activities, programs, projects,

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and initiatives from each of the thematic sections. Over the last year, efforts have been made to position key topics for women, such as: a work proposal drafted by the CIM on preventing maternal death; a project on “Community Voices to Prevent Malnutrition in Guatemala”; the project presented by the Section on Vulnerable Groups to the UNDEF on empowering indigenous women and women of African descent in the Esmeraldas region in Ecuador (a region particularly affected by the earthquake in Ecuador); and training of ministers of social development on how to incorporate gender indicators into the policies and programs they promote. As for activities with civil society, efforts are being made to ensure gender balance, depending on the availability of resources to fund participation by civil society representatives in the activities or on panels at plenary sessions of our forums.

 In the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), according to 2015 information, has an open policy for the participation of women in all of its courses and programs, recognizing the vital role that women play in member states’ efforts to prevent, combat, and eliminate terrorism. CICTE has developed a strategy for keeping track of, and including in mission reports, all CICTE events, along with the number of participants in them disaggregated by gender and other variables. CICAD has a mandate to develop and evaluate policies and projects based on scientific evidence, in which one of the central parameters is gender, since drug use often follows different trends depending on age, gender, social class, etc. It seeks to further this approach in its horizontal and international cooperation, and to identify gender gaps as part of its training follow-up. The new CICAD Plan of Action (2016-2020), under the Institutional Strengthening area, includes objectives and actions related to gender equity. One example is alternatives to incarceration for drug-related offenses. The work of the Inter-American Observatory on Drugs (OID) is based on CICAD’s operational objectives 6, 15, 16, 17, and 18. The OID always includes the sex variable in its epidemiology-based studies. The methodology also requires a gender-balanced sample that is representative of the target population. In its reports on drug use, the OID always includes a gender analysis, as gender is a key variable for understanding drug- use patterns in any country. The Demand Reduction Unit employs a gender approach in its PROCCER Program (Training and Certification Program) – the training protocols and curriculum used for this component are based on the GROW program (Guiding the Recovery of Women). Studies show that men and women undergoing substance abuse treatment present differences both in terms of prevalence of use, as well as reasons for relapsing. Studies also show that women have special needs and these differences should thus be taken into consideration. The program integrates a gender perspective into its treatment approach. This perspective underscores the need to create interventions tailored to the needs of women in treatment and relapse prevention. The Department of Public Security indicates that although it does not have a mandate or a specific strategy addressing this issue, it promotes the inclusion of a gender and rights-based perspective as a crosscutting theme in its projects and activities. The DPS is also continuing its direct cooperation initiatives with the other units of the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, specifically for the joint design of proposals and projects with a violence prevention approach, participation in specialized workshops and panels, and advice on the effective incorporation of matters related to “women’s security” and “security and gender.” The Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC) was recently created from several existing areas in other SMS departments. In the framework of follow-up on training and

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technical assistance activities provided to member states, one of DTOC’s policies is to identify specific gender gaps. DTOC has indicated that the agenda for each training session reserves time for officials to present experiences on policies or measures that include a gender approach for preventing and/or prosecuting organized crime and any impact they have had. The department also tries to have equal participation of men and women in its initiatives.

 In the Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs promotes the inclusion of a gender equality and rights approach in all the activities and programs it carries out. Specifically, through the Committee to Analyze Strategic Initiatives (a mechanism for cabinet-level dialogue and analysis), the Secretariat serves as coordinator to promote the implementation of the gender and rights approach for all the OAS initiatives and programs it analyzes. The Secretary of SHA and the Advisor for Strategy and Organizational Development co-chair the Committee (Executive Order No. 16-02 of February 2016). The committee comprises the Chiefs of Staff of the Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General and all the Secretaries, as well as the CIM.

The aim of the strategy implemented by the Department of Effective Public Management is, on the one hand, to raise awareness and provide training for its staff members on the importance of mainstreaming gender in its activities; and of gradually incorporating that perspective as a crosscutting theme in projects, online courses, ministerial meetings, networks, guidelines, and studies, and throughout its work, and of establishing a relationship for coordination with the CIM to support the implementation of the Department’s work plan. To that end, it provides training and raises awareness among its staff, incorporates a gender perspective in project profiles and in its budget; analyzes online courses and the Guide of Strategies and Mechanisms for Effective Public Management; identifies and presents best practices of management with a gender perspective in the framework of the Inter-American Cooperation Mechanism for Effective Public Management (MECIGEP); and works to introduce the gender perspective in its ministerial meetings. It has also held meetings with the CIM to obtain feedback and advice on mainstreaming gender in its activities.

The Summits Secretariat, for its part, promotes the inclusion of a gender perspective in all its activities, including the preparatory process for the Summit of the Americas, as well as in its events with social actors and political dialogues, and in aspects related to following up on and implementing the Summit commitments. It also promotes the dissemination of gender initiatives carried out by member states, the CIM, and the OAS. As for the Art Museum of the Americas, it emphasizes in its programs the work of women artists, curators, and academics, and, to the extent possible, seeks equitable representation of male and female artists, curators, and academics and to explore gender-related matters in its exhibitions.

 In the Secretariat for Administration and Finance, the Office of the Executive Secretariat has indicated that SAF strategies and efforts to integrate the gender approach are carried out by the Department of Human Resources (DHR), the executive body for all its activities. SAF fully supports the initiatives stemming from any of its departments and commits to disseminate any information that would help implement the IAP. The DHR continues its efforts to strike a gender balance by (i) providing the GS/OAS with information on the current status of geographic and gender distribution in its Quarterly Resource Management Reports and the Register of Staff Members of the OAS; (ii) distributing a report to directors, as part of the internship program, in which information is provided on the current status of geographic and

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gender representation in their areas, with a view to issuing recommendations on the nationality and gender of future interns; (iii) providing the areas with a report on gender representation by area as an element to be considered in the recruitment, selection, and appointment process; and (iv) including job announcements, information that reflects the OAS’s commitment to hiring diverse staff and seeking a broad geographic representation and gender equality and equity when selecting candidates.

The autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities listed the following among their strategies:

The IACHR has designed a strategy to address gender equality-related issues from a human rights perspective, as part of its mandate to promote and protect human rights in the Americas. With the support of the IACHR, the Special Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women and LGBTI issues deals with topics related to gender and women’s rights in implementing the inter- American system’s human rights mechanisms: (i) the processing of individual petitions with cases specifically related to gender; (ii) the processing of precautionary measures; (iii) the litigation of cases before the Inter-American Court; (iv) the preparation of on-site visits; (v) the convening of thematic hearings, and (vi) the publication of country and regional reports on different topics related to the rights of women.

PAHO, through its Gender and Cultural Diversity Unit (GD), Family, Gender and Life Course (FGL) department, has approved its new Strategic Plan 2014–2019, which reaffirms gender as a priority (crosscutting) theme for the Secretariat and the member states. In addition to gender, other crosscutting themes have been adopted—human rights, equity, and ethnicity; these are incorporated in the overall planning process, and new mechanisms will be introduced to reinforce monitoring of the themes’ incorporation into the health area.

The IIN, as part of its Action Plan 2015-2019, included the promotion of the gender and rights approach in its approaches for action. As relates to the work of the Inter-American Cooperation Program for the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Exploitation and Smuggling of and Trafficking in Children, and the various manifestations of sexual violence, a gender approach is indispensable at all stages of intervention. The dismantling of gender models and the differentiated needs of boys and girls and ways in which they are affected by violence should be a key element in any strategy developed. To this end, the IIN will place special emphasis on identifying and analyzing experiences that include this perspective and will incorporate a gender lens into all its actions. The IIN has also indicated that it will include a gender approach in its work with adolescents for the activities in the area of juvenile criminal liability systems, throughout the entire criminal intervention process, as well as in the imposition of non-custodial alternatives to deprivation of liberty.

IICA has not yet established a formal strategy to more explicitly operationalize this issue; however, it has made substantial strides in implementing the Institutional Gender Policy, which was adopted in November 2016. This policy aims to “institutionalize the gender equity and equality perspective and approach in internal management and in the technical cooperation that the organization provides to its member countries.” Additionally, in 2016, the institute furthered a process to develop and update policies and procedures in the DGTH: Code of Ethics, Gender, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Harassment, Executive Order for Consultants, Internships,

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and Recruitment and Selection Protocols. This process aimed to establish an appropriate frame of reference for institute requirements.

In CITEL, the “Program for the Inclusion of Women and Girls in ICT” [CCP.I/RES. 194 (XIX- 11)] and efforts invested by CITEL in ICT policies and projects with a gender focus executed in previous years, as well as collaborations between CITEL and the CIM to address issues related to the benefit of using ICTs as tools for empowering women, particularly to prevent and eradicate violence against women, resulted in the creation in 2015 of an ad hoc CITEL group for the implementation of ICTs as a tool for the empowerment of women [CCP.I/RES. 243 (XXVI- 15)], as part of the Permanent Consultative Committee I: Telecommunications/Information and Communication Technologies (PCC.I) during the XXVI Meeting of the Committee held May 26 to 29, 2015 in Cusco, Peru. This ad hoc group aims to, among other goals, prepare a situation report to provide guidelines, policy recommendations, and strategies to advance a gender equality and women’s rights perspective throughout the CITEL agenda, and the ICT governing bodies to promote and advance the strategic use of ICTs as a tool to drive gender equality.

The Office of the Inspector General indicated that, on December 31, 2016, women made up 50% of the OIG staff. It also noted that the OIG is in favor of strengthening institutional mechanisms to promote equality, the right to information, education, training, employment opportunities, and access to key resources for personal development. The Trust for the Americas states that it promotes gender balance in its activities and projects and the participation of women’s organizations in these activities and projects. It also indicates that it deems the gender approach to be a cross-cutting pillar for all its projects. It has two specific projects focused on empowering women who are at social and economic risk. Its local partners organize trainings on digital literacy, life skills, employment, and creating and/or strengthening startups, with an emphasis on finding young women and mothers who are heads of households.

C. Gender and rights-based approach in sectoral meetings at the ministerial and inter- American committee level

Of all the GS/OAS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities polled (45), 44.4% (20 bodies) said that they served as the Technical or Executive Secretariat of inter-American commissions and/or committees, ministerial meetings, or the like, compared to 53.6% (22) in 2015, 51,2% (21) in 2014,53.8% (21) in 2013, and 46.3% (19) in 2012. Noteworthy is the fact that these bodies, with the exception of two (Department of Financial Services and Relations with Civil Society Section), replied that the theme of gender equality and women’s rights was present in the inter-American committees or in ministerial or similar meetings for which they served as secretariat. Similarly, of the 20 bodies, eleven indicated that they served as the Technical/Executive Secretariat of at least two ministerial-level forums. Only the SHA serves as the Technical Secretariat for eight ministerial-level forums; SEDI, through its Department of Economic Development, serves as Technical and/or Executive Secretariat of seven ministerial-level bodies, as well as the Secretariat for Access to Rights, with six forums under the Department of Social Inclusion and one under Civil Society. This demonstrates the potential impact that the OAS can have at the inter-American level, through these sectoral forums, in furthering a rights-based and gender approach at the inter-American level. Deeper analysis would be required to identify the level at which this has been taking place in each one of these forums.

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Departments of the GS/OAS and Autonomous and Decentralized Organs, Agencies, and Entities

In addition, as shown in the graph above, the number of entities, whether committee or ministerial/inter-American meeting secretariats that indicate that they mainstream the gender approach is on the rise.

D. Specific efforts to implement the IAP (policies, programs and projects)

Do you have any policy(ies), program(s) and/or project(s) that promote gender equality and women’s rights?

Based on the replies that were provided by the SG/OAS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities that reported having polices, projects or programs to

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promote gender equality and women’s rights, 57.8% (18 departments and 8 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities) compared to 47.6% in 2011, 48.8% in 2012, 56.4% in 2013 and 2014, and 63.4% in 2015. This question was also put to the National Offices, 25% (7) of which replied in the affirmative. Despite these figures, several departments, and autonomous, and decentralized agencies indicated, in connection with those efforts, that not all their projects were necessarily formulated for the above-mentioned purpose, although the gender perspective and women’s rights were taken into account in their execution.

Based on the replies received (see details in Section III), below are listed are the departments and agencies with projects or programs through which gender equality and women’s rights have been promoted. Analysis of the extent to which this is being achieved is beyond the scope of this report.

Secretariat Department Project/Program

Executive Dept. Economic - Establishment of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in CARICOM Member States Secretariat for Development (2012–2018), Integral - Activities to follow-up on the Plan de Action of Guatemala 2016-2020, Science and Development Technology (SEDI) - Scholarship Program (CONACYT-OEA-AMEXCID) - Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Canada - Small Tourism Business Network Project (2012–2017) Previous: ₋ Economic Empowerment and Trade Program (2010-2015), especially the following: - IV Inter-American Dialogue of High-Level MSME Authorities, April 2015 - Project: Establishment of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in CARICOM Member States (2012–2015) - Training of Trainers in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for MSME - - Establishment of Small Business Development Centers in CARICOM Member States (2012- 2015) ₋ Plan of Action of Guatemala 2016-2020, in the framework of the IV Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Science and Technology ₋ Member of the advisory group of GenderInSITE LAC-Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology, and Engineering ₋ Member of the SciGirls advisory group ₋ Periodic collaboration with LACCEI for annual conference ₋ WG on gender and competitiveness of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) ₋ Annual report of Signs of Competitiveness ₋ Project: Expanding the Socioeconomic Potential of Cultural Heritage in the Caribbean. Phase II: Implementation of Project Components (January 2015-January 2017) - Project: Increasing Tourism Competitiveness Through Sustainable Destination Management and Capacity Building in the Caribbean and Central America (2014-2016) Dept. Human - Agenda Educativa Interamericana Development, - Activities in the framework of the Inter-American Teacher Education Network (ITEN) Education, and - Joint online capacity-building program on gender and rights between the Educational Portal of Employment the Americas and the Inter-American Commission of Women. It includes: - Holding of the 7th and 8th offerings of the online course CIM/OAS course “Rights-Based and Gender Equality Approach to Policies, Programs, and Projects” - Launch of the first CIM/OAS online course “Strategic Planning with a Gender Focus” - OAS Gender Community of Practice, managed by the CIM - Ongoing collaboration between the Professional Development Scholarship Program and the CIM - Gender component program in the framework of the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL), which includes:

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Secretariat Department Project/Program

- RIAL support for the launch of the Gender Equality Seal program in El Salvador, 2015 ₋ Project on Participatory Gender Audits in Ministries of Labor Dept. - Environmental Law, Policy, and Governance Program – Strengthening Public Participation Sustainable Mechanisms for Sustainable Development Development - Joint initiatives with the CIM to promote the inclusion of a gender, rights, and diversity approach in comprehensive disaster risk management - Regional Project for Integrating a Gender Equality and Rights-Based Perspective into Comprehensive Risk and Disaster Management (in search of funds) Inter-American - Annual Port Woman of the Year in the Americas Award of the Inter-American Committee on Committee on Ports (CIP) (January-April 2016) Ports ₋ Hemispheric Seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Gender Equality in the Port Sector: From Awareness to Action, April 2016 YABT ₋ International courses held in Israel twice a year ₋ High Impact Women Entrepreneur Award – TIC Americas 2016 ₋ Women Innovator of the Americas Award– TIC Americas 2016 ₋ Youth Forum of the Americas ₋ Promotion of young female entrepreneurs in international forums Secretariat for Dept. - Secured Transactions and Equitable Access to Credit Project Legal Affairs International - Rio de Janeiro Course on International Law (SLA) Law Secretariat for Dept. Electoral - Project on Incorporating the Gender Perspective into OAS Electoral Observation Missions Political Cooperation and (EOMs) Affairs Observation - Methodology for Observing Political-Electoral Financing in Electoral Observation Missions (SPA) (DECO) - Toolbox for Financing from a Gender Perspective - Methodology for Observing the Electoral Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Persons of African Descent in Electoral Processes - Methodology for Observing Voting Abroad - Electoral Security Methodology - Electoral Dispute Resolution Methodology – Electoral Justice Methodology for Observing the Participation of Persons with Disabilities in Electoral Processes Dept. Efforts in the framework of the Peace Fund - the OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone between Sustainable Belize and Guatemala of the Peace Fund, including Democracy and - Culture of Peace Program Special - Promotion of development and technical cooperation in the most vulnerable communities Missions Efforts in the framework of the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS), including: - Strengthening the gender approach in monitoring activities conducted in the MAPP/OAS areas of peacebuilding, transitional justice, and territorial dynamics - Video-Transformation as a methodological tool - Skills development on gender and rights Previous - Systematization of Focus Groups with Female Ex-Combatants (2014) - Panel Discussion with Women on Reintegration into Civilian Life (2014) - Policy to Strengthen Victims of Violence and Their Organizations (2014) - Policy to Support Women Victims of the Armed Conflict in Colombia (2014) Secretariat for Dept. of Social - - Document: Linking Women’s Economic and Political Empowerment: The OAS Social Access to Inclusion Inclusion and Equity Agenda Rights and - Inter-American System of Education project Equity - Community Spokeswomen for Nutrition project in the Corredor Seco region in Guatemala - Technical assistance for the Secretariat of the Working Group on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons - Strengthening the Competencies of Justice Operators and Other Actors on Exercising Legal Capacity and Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities - Program of Action for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities

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Secretariat Department Project/Program

- Project presented to UNDEF to promote the empowerment of indigenous women and women of African descent with disabilities in the Esmeraldas community - Forum “LGBTI Youth in the Americas: Advancing in the Commitment to Address the Victims of Human Trafficking” - Pilot Project on Participatory Gender Assessments in Three Countries of the Region (executed) - The work of the Technical Secretariat of the Protocol of San Salvador Working Group (PSS) - Project: Promoting gender-sensitive labor migration policies in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Panama(executed) - Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas - Project on Strengthening the Legal and Institutional Framework for Persons with Disabilities in Haiti (2011-2015) - Draft The policy on mainstreaming disability in the OAS (2016-2018) - Training program for mainstreaming disability in the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia(2015) - Online training programs on the legal capacity of persons with disabilities in the region (March- December 2015) - Technical and executive assistance to the Secretariat of the Working Group on Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons - Activities in the framework of the Consumer Safety and Health Network (CSHN) Relations with - Promotion of great CSO participation in OAS activities Civil Society - Promotion of greater participation by CSOs and social actors in the Summits Process Judicial Activities in the framework of the Inter-American Program of Judicial Facilitators (IPJF), Facilitators including the Certification Course on Access to Justice for Judicial Personnel (gender module) Strategic Dept. Planning - Project: Strengthening the Capacity of the OAS to Implement Results-Based Management Council for and Evaluation - Ongoing collaboration with the CIM to further the gender equality and women’s rights Organizationa perspective in projects and programs l Dev. & - Innovative tool to measure the level of gender mainstreaming in mandates and goals of the Mgmt. for GS/OAS Results Dept. Press and -Promotes gender equality through communiqués and press releases Communication Sec. Organizational Development Program Organizational Development Secretariat for CICAD ₋ Training and Certification Program for Drug and Violence Prevention, Treatment, and Multidimensi Rehabilitation (PROCCER) onal ₋ Construction of National Anti-Drug Strategy and Plans of Action Security.(SM ₋ Alternatives to Incarceration for Drug-related Crimes program S) ₋ Drug Treatment Courts ₋ Health and Life in the Americas (SAVIA) project ₋ International Research Capacity Building Program for Health Related Professionals to Study the Drug Phenomenon in Latin America and the Caribbean ₋ Inter-American Drug Use Data System (SIDUC) in Latin American countries ₋ SIDUC- Caribbean CICTE ₋ Cyber security program ₋ Aviation security courses ₋ Efforts made in the context of activities in the major events area Dept. of Public ₋ Work Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere 2015-2018 Security ₋ Observatory on Citizen Security ₋ Homicide prevention and reduction project (Sep. 2016 – Sep. 2017) Previous: ₋ Education planning guide ₋ Training courses on public security topics ₋ Project: Design and implementation of a Code of Police Ethics, for the National Police of Uruguay ₋ Project: A New Path – Promoting a Healthy Environment and Productive Alternatives for

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Secretariat Department Project/Program

Juvenile Remandees and Offenders in Jamaica ₋ Project: Strengthening of Institutions specialized in the Assistance and Protection of victims of violence generated by organized crime in Central America ₋ Promotion of the protection of the rights of migrants in irregular status Secret. Adm. Dept. Human - OASES Human Resource Module and Finance Resources - Quarterly Human Resource Management Reports and staff records (SAF) - Organizational Personnel Database Dept. of Preparation with the DPE in collaboration with the CIM of an innovative tool to measure the level Information & of gender mainstreaming in mandates and goals of the SG/OAS. Technology Services Secretariat for Dept. of ₋ Project for the Promotion of and Access to the Right to Identity in the Northern Triangle of Hemispheric Effective Public Central America. Affairs Management ₋ Support for the Haitian Office of Identification in issuing identification cards to Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic ₋ Program to Promote Open Government in the Americas ₋ IV Inter-American Award on Innovation for Effective Public Management ₋ OAS Virtual Campus ₋ Previous: ₋ Project: Strengthening the Hospital Records System in El Salvador, Honduras, and Paraguay(2013- 2015) ₋ Project: Latin American and Caribbean Council for Civil Registration, Identity, and Vital Statistics (CLARCIEV) (2015) ₋ Promoting Civil Identity in the border areas of Colombia-Ecuador, Ecuador-Peru, and Bolivia- Paraguay (2015) ₋ Activities in the framework of the Inter-American Cooperation Mechanism for Effective Public Management (MECIGEP) –Analysis rounds ₋ OAS program to promote open government in the Americas – First edition, March –Nov. 2015 ₋ Workshops to increase women’s participation in public procurement ₋ Public awareness campaign on the rights of access to public information ₋ “¡Infórmate! y mejora tu vida” [Get Informed and Improve Your Quality of Life] short film contest, September 2014 to April 2015 ₋ Third Inter-American Prize for Innovation in Effective Public Management, 2015 ₋ Observatory on Strategies and Mechanisms for Effective Public Management (2012 - 2015) Summits Dissemination of gender-related initiatives and programs by the actors of the Summits Process in Secretariat the Summits of the Americas Follow-up System (SISCA) Dept. Strategic Periodic exhibitions in the Art Museum of the Americas Initiatives and Public Diplom.

Autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities IACHR Actions taken through the Rapporteurship on the Rights of LGBTI Persons PAHO - Program on integration of the gender perspective - Implementation of PAHO’s Plan of Action for Implementing the Gender Equality Policy, 2005 CITEL ₋ Project: Collaboration Request between CITEL and the Inter-American Commission of Women to Address Issues Related to the Benefit of the Use of ICT´s as Tools for the Empowerment of Women, Particularly to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women, including: ₋ 2016-2018 Roadmap for the Development of Projects, and Human and Financial Resources to Promote Women’s Access, Use, and Leadership in ICT Development ₋ Call for Awards and Award Rules "ICTs to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women” (PCC.I/RES. 259(XXVII-15) IIN - Inter-American Cooperation Program for the Prevention and Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Smuggling of and Trafficking in Children - Draft Guidelines on Empowerment and Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents on the Internet in Central America and the Dominican Republic

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Secretariat Department Project/Program

Previous: - the Inter-American Program for the Prevention and Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Smuggling of and Trafficking in Children ₋ Project on building family childcare and child rearing capacities in early childhood PAIGH- Publication: Historia comparada de las mujeres en las Américas [Comparative History of Women of the Americas] - Publication: Historia Comparada de las Migraciones en las Américas [Comparative History of Migrations in the Americas] IICA - Proyecto Insignia Inclusión en la Agricultura y Territorios Rurales (2014-2018) - Euroclima Project (2014-2017) - Programa Regional de Investigación e Innovación por Cadenas de Valor Agrícolas (PRIICA) (2010-2017) - Dinamización y escalamiento del mercado de cocinas mejoradas en Apurímac, Ayacucho y Puno (2015-2016) - Instalación y uso de cocinas mejoradas en hogares en situación de pobreza extrema ubicados en zonas rurales altoandinas (2015-2016) TRUST - Partnership in Opportunities for Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) - Project VIVE-Ven Inspírate y Vende [LIVE-Come, Get Inspired, and Sell]

Several of the National Offices referred to the support that they provide to OAS projects or programs that are implemented in-country, or to their participation in related national activities (see breakdown in Section III.C).

E. Technical capacity to implement a rights-based and gender equality approach

Of the GS departments and the autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, 57.8% (26) replied that they had the technical capacity to implement a gender and women’s rights approach, slightly lower than in 2015 (68,29%) (28); 31.1% said that they did not, and 11,1% (5) did not answer or offer specifics, compared to 12.2% (5) in 2015, 14.6% (6) in 2014 and 17.9% in 2013. Of the National Offices, 25%% (7) said that they had this technical capacity, compared to 32.1% (9) in 2014 and 10.7% (3) in 2013; 28.6% (8) said they did not, compared to 50% in 2015.

Do you have the necessary technical capacity to implement a rights-based and gender equality approach?

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In referring to the nature of their technical capacity, replies included: having professional staff who have been trained on the subject of gender through courses offered by the OAS, personnel that had more in-depth education and greater experience in the field of gender (for example, the Department of Planning and Evaluation – DPE, Organizational Development Section, DECO, Department of Social Inclusion (DSI), the Department of Public Security (DPS), the Department of International Law (DIL), and departments that have gender experts as staff members or contract employees (for example, DECO, the Department of Social Development and Employment (DSDE), the Department of Democratic Sustainability and Special Missions (DSDSM)– since the beginning of 2012, MAPP/OAS has had a formally constituted Gender Area – DPS, and DPE. Emphasis was placed on gender training in thematic areas conducted during this period by several departments with the support of experts, as was the periodic training provided by the CIM, with support from the Educational Portal of the Americas, to OAS staff through online training (nine weeks) given by experts, and ongoing assistance and technical advice. Among the organizations, it was mentioned that PAHO has advisors on gender and health; having access to partner institutions with experience in the subject (for example, DSDSM-MAPP; having materials or methodologies available for reproduction (for example, DECO, DPE, DSI, and DIL), and having an institutionalized mechanism, such as the IACHR (Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women). The DHR, for its part, has systematized information on the GS/OAS staff, specifically the OASES HR Module, which is useful in developing statistics on gender and on geographic representation.

The National Offices underscore, as part of their capacity in gender issues, the guidance and training they receive from the GS/OAS, the knowledge some representatives had before they were appointed, and access to the experience of local partner institutions. Seven (25%) National Offices reported that at least one of their staff had participated in gender training or in related courses/seminars, although not necessarily in the period, including the offices in Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, San Kitts and Nevis and Suriname.

Officials that have participated in a Gender-related Training Course or Workshop

During this period, the CIM on three occasions offered, with support from the Educational Portal of the Americas, the seventh and eighth editions of the online course titled “Gender and Equal Rights Approach in Policies, Programs, and Projects. “Personnel from all areas of the GS/OAS, including the National Offices, were invited to participate. Staff members who received training

- 31 - include the teams of professionals of the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP- OAS), with 15 of their professionals in the field receiving the training during the period in question. For the ninth edition, which began in March 2017, among the personnel to be trained are included personnel of the Mission to Support the Fighth against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH).

F. Type of technical support required to move forward in implementing the IAP

Most of the bodies that replied to the questionnaire stated that they would like to continue receiving technical support and advice from the CIM/OAS to move forward in implementing the IAP and to ensure implementation of the GS/OAS’s Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights A summary of the replies follows below:

Departments of the GS/OAS and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities: In their replies, the departments expressed an interest in continuing to receive technical assistance and advice from the CIM and in participating in CIM training activities; receiving specific technical assistance in identifying guidelines for integrating a gender and rights-based perspective; and advice on project/project design; receiving CIM participation in the implementation of specific projects and activities; open dialogue and strengthening existing cooperation and partnerships. They also expressed an interest in the development of best practices within the OAS and the region and in having access to a contact list of institutions, including NGOs and independent experts by country and subject area, in order to strengthen ties of cooperation by involving them in OAS events for an exchange of experiences and knowledge.

National Offices: The predominant replies were receiving training on gender and rights, and incorporating these perspectives; exchanging information and best practices; having materials made available to them for dissemination and outreach; and sharing strategies, manuals, and publications on this subject. They also expressed their interest in enhanced communication with the CIM. The representatives likewise expressed their interest in having greater communication and cooperation with the CIM in order to promote the implementation of the IAP in the country in question, and in receiving feedback on activities that the CIM is carrying out in the corresponding country.

G. Promotion of the integration of women’s rights and a gender perspective in reports published by the OAS

With a view to learning about the efforts being made by the departments of the GS/OAS and the autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities to promote the inclusion of women’s human rights and a gender equity and equality perspective in reports published by the OAS—an aspect of the IAP emphasized in resolution AG/RES. 2831 (XLIV-O/14)—all of the OAS entities were asked to provide information in this regard. Of the number that replied to the questionnaire, 51.1% (i.e., 14 departments of the GS/OAS and 9 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities) answered that they had indeed promoted the integration of a women’s human rights and a gender equity and equality perspective in their reports. By the same token, 26.7% (i.e., 11 departments and 1 organization) said that they had not and 20% (9) did not answer the question.

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H. Operational Goals with a gender and rights-based perspective

As regards the question on programs, projects, and other activities associated with the 2016 Operational Goals2/ approved for their department/unit/agency that mainstream gender and/or rights, 44.4% (14 departments/units of the GS/OAS and 6 organizations) said that they had them, compared to 20% (7 departments and 2 organizations)) that said they did not have activities associated with their approved goals that incorporated a gender perspective; 28.9% (13) did not reply and 6.7%% (3) did not give specifics or said that the question was not applicable.

III. ACTIONS TAKEN BY OAS ORGANS, AGENCIES AND ENTITIES

Based on the information received from the different bodies, this section covers the specific measures taken between March 2016 and February 2017 to follow up on the IAP.

A. OAS ENTITIES AND AGENCIES

1. Strategic Council for Organizational Development and Management for Results

The Council was created by Executive Order .08-01 Rev. 9, titled “Structure of the General Secretariat,” on December 11, 2015. It is composed of the Department of Planning and Evaluation, the Department of Press and Communication, and the Department of International Affairs.

The Strategic Council for Organizational Development co-chairs with the Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs the Committee to Analyze Strategic Initiatives, recently created by Executive Order 16-02, titled “Strategic Initiatives of the General Secretariat,” adopted on February 9, 2016 by the OAS Secretary General. By this Executive Order, the Committee will be composed of the Chiefs of Staff of the Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General and all the Secretaries. The CIM will participate through its Executive Secretariat to ensure gender mainstreaming in all initiatives to be analyzed.

The Counsel is part of the Committee to Follow-up on Implementation of the OAS General Secretariat’s Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights, which was created with the adoption of this policy.

a) Department of Planning and Evaluation (DPE)

Over this period, the DPE has continued to provide technical assistance to the technical areas, by holding meetings with them as part of the Working Group for the Project Evaluation Committee (CEP), as well as follow-up meetings to incentivize these areas to include – to the extent possible – gender-sensitive activities in projects slated for implementation or those already in execution phase. This assistance is also available through workshops on project development and monitoring and evaluating projects. These workshops provide information on how to analyze a problem from a gender approach and using gender-sensitive indicators.

2 The 2016 Annual Operating Plan of the OAS General Secretariat is available at: http://oasconnect/Portals/0/Plan-Ctrl-Eval/Planning_&_Control/POAs/Annual_Operating_Plan_2016.pdf

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The CIM provided its comments and recommendations on project profiles through the CEP Working Group and the CEP itself, for which the DPE serves as secretariat. CIM input is sent to the teams in charge of the projects for consideration during the design and implementation phases. The DPE follows up on the comments with the areas to promote the inclusion of gender-sensitive activities in projects. The coordination and joint work between the DPE and the CIM are key for providing incentives to teams from the various areas to include the gender and rights approach in the development and other phases of the project/program cycle, as appropriate. Also during this period, workshops were held on drafting projects (April 6, 2016). These workshops included information on how to analyze problems from a gender approach, as well as project monitoring and evaluation (May 18-20, 2016) that includes gender-sensitive information and indicators.

The DPE, in coordination with the CIM and the Department of Information and Technology Services (DOITS), as part of the Project: Strengthening the OAS’s Capacity to Implement Results- based Management (June 2012-March 2015), developed a series of tools to enable observing whether a gender approach had been integrated into OAS mandates, project goals, OAS programs and projects. These tools also allow for classification according to the level of gender inclusion and whether resources have been allocated for implementation.

b) Department of Press and Communication

The DPC indicates that it adheres to a gender equality policy in its day-to-day work. It publishes press notes, press releases, and activities, including those promoting gender equality and women’s rights. The composition of the DPC’s staff also reflects gender parity.

c) Department of International Affairs

Among its activities with permanent observers, the DIA promotes lending visibility to projects and initiatives that advance a gender, rights, and diversity approach within the GS/OAS and member states. For example, with funding from the People’s Republic of China, the DIA has been supporting an institutional project coordinated by the CIM/OAS “Implementation of an Institutional Policy for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights in the OAS” (first phase), CIM 1601. This policy aims to lay the foundation for the effective implementation of the GS/OAS Institutional Policy for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights within the General Secretariat. These funds provided for the first Participatory Audit on Gender, Rights, and Diversity in the OAS General Secretariat in 2016. The purpose of this audit is to understand the state of GS/OAS progress on the matter and, based on that, develop a participatory plan of action to implement the OAS Institutional Policy for Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights.

During this same period, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Principality of Monaco provided resources to implement project CIM 1303 “Strengthening the Capacities of National Machineries for the Advancement of Women in the Participating Countries to Make Progress with Mainstreaming the Gender Perspective.” This project aims to strengthen the professional capacities of participants in these machineries to conduct assessments to mainstream a gender perspective in public policy.

d) Organizational Development Section

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The Strategic Counsel, through this section, has been working since February 2017 to develop an Organizational Development Program to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Organization and to support the implementation of the OAS Comprehensive Strategic Plan 2016- 2020. This program will boast the participation of various institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and American University.

This program calls for components requiring expert analysis on gender and rights perspectives to ensure that the proposed activities effectively incorporate these perspectives. The area hopes to coordinate with the CIM any review of program proposals, as well as the CIM’s role in program implementation.

2. Secretariat for Legal Affairs

a) Department of Legal Services (DLS)

In its capacity as legal counsel, this department resolved several matters raised by the CIM, providing the corresponding legal assistance.

b) Department of International Law

The Course on International Law was organized by the Inter-American Juridical Committee and held in Rio de Janeiro October 3-21. It was designed to foster an exchange of ideas and create and open dialogue on matters of special relevance to international law, as a mechanism to promote the study, in-depth analysis, and specialization in these matters. The course syllabus included classes on international legal aspects on surrogacy and further study of international legal protection of migrant women and children in the framework of international humanitarian and refugee law. Professors were encouraged to include a gender perspective in their classes.

In terms of promoting the principles of the Model Inter-American Law on Secured Transactions, the University of Cadiz in Spain has been collaborating on a publication on the topic, with a section on the implications of the law for women’s empowerment. The DIL gave a presentation on the OAS’s work on secured transactions, with the participation of the CIM, during the “World Bank Business Forum: Legal Gaps in the Business Environment of Developing Countries,” held on May 18, 2016. The DIL showed a video demonstrating how legislative reforms based on the Model Law can improve access to credit and how the law is being used as a tool, where possible, to create awareness among OAS member states considering a reform or those who have not yet begun reforms. The DIL is currently working on a commitment to collaborate on developing an annotated guide to this Model Law.

Efforts stemming from the project Secured Transactions and Equitable Access to Credit Project (2015) have been made to build the capacity of OAS member states to implement reform in secured transactions systems, including equitable access to credit, based on the corresponding OAS Model Law. Achievements of this project (funded by CIDA-Canada) include: identification of groups devoted to the financial inclusion of women, promotion of female entrepreneurs, and providing them with microfinance services. Under the project technical knowledge has also been provided on how reforms in the area of secured transactions can address their needs. The Inter-

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American Commission on Women (CIM) has participated in each of the international seminars held, in El Salvador, Peru, and Jamaica, through presentations given in conjunction with authorities and representatives of different sectors, and by providing technical assistance.

The DIL has been disseminating the work of the CJI on the Model Law on the Simplified Stock Corporation, as well as promoting its consideration at the next General Assembly. The key driver of this Model Law is to encourage legislative reforms in OAS member states to simplify the process for incorporating a company and, thus, a transition from the informal sector to the formal sector. In light of the fact that more than 90% of MSMEs in the developing world operate in the informal sector and the fact that women are three times more likely than men to work informally, this project could potentially have a greater impact on women.

c) Department of Legal Cooperation (DLC)

The DLC serves as the Technical Secretariat to the Mechanism for Follow-up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) and to the Meeting of Ministers of Justice or Other Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA), which deals with issues of mutual assistance in criminal matters, extradition, and cybercrime. The DLC, which did not respond to this follow-up questionnaire on the IAP, has indicated in the past that women have been integrated in the various MESICIC activities, where they serve as members of the Committee of Experts, participating in examining the progress of other countries and sharing best practices followed in their countries of origin on matters covered by the Convention.

The department underscores that the fight against corruption through MESICIC operations promotes gender rights and equality by combating injustice and political and institutional discrimination caused by corruption.

3. Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy

a) Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO)

The DECO continued to implement the project Incorporating the Gender Perspective into OAS Electoral Observation Missions (EOMs. The project aims to (i) incorporate the gender perspective into electoral observation in order to ensure a balance between men and women in the composition of the Electoral Observation Missions (EOMs); and (ii) develop tools for observing conditions for the exercise of men’s and women’s political rights in electoral processes. In the project framework quantitative and qualitative data is systematically compiled on women’s participation in politics as voters, candidates, electoral board members, electoral attorneys, and election officials. DECO now has information on the situation of women’s exercise of their political rights in electoral processes in the region, which has facilitated deeper analysis and enabled recommendations to be issued to the countries.

As concerns the Methodology for the Observation of Political Financing Models in Elections in Electoral Observation Missions (EOMs), initiated in 2010 with financing from Canada and the United States, a manual on observing political-electoral financing in the countries was developed. The manual and the prior study take the gender perspective into account since they demonstrate how the components of the financing system are favorable or detrimental to women’s rights to vote and be

- 36 - elected in electoral processes. This methodology made it possible for DECO to deepen its analysis and recommendations made to the countries from a gender perspective, with special attention to the differences between men and women and their respective barriers in access to political financing.

The Methodology for Observing the Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Afro- Descendants in Electoral Processes (2014– ) is designed to identify the obstacles and limitations faced by these groups in exercising their political rights, for example, obstacles to exercising the right to vote, to run for office, or to be elected. The project focuses in particular on the barriers to political participation that indigenous women encounter. In 2015, this methodology was implemented in Guatemala’s general elections, where specific recommendations in this area were made to the electoral body.

The aim of the Methodology for Observing Voting Abroad (2014-2017) is to observe the workings of the legal framework for the voting process for citizens residing abroad, voting procedures and instructions, political conditions, and the overall levels of confidence in the electoral body and in administrators involved in the process. . This methodology allows for special attention to be paid to the barriers indigenous women face as regards their political participation. DECO is currently seeking resources to develop this methodology. DECO is now seeking resources to develop thos methodology. The Methodology for Electoral Justice (2014-2017) aims to observe the procedures and resources used by the competent authorities in addressing electoral complaints and crimes, as well as their jurisdiction in electoral processes. This methodology calls for special treatment of violent actions against women and reports thereof. DECO is currently seeking resources to develop the methodology, which would provide specific recommendations to electoral bodies. The Methodology for Electoral Dispute Resolution – Electoral Justice (2014–2017) is aimed at observing processes and mechanisms for resolving electoral disputes. The components of the methodology include the analysis of normative frameworks, the identification of mechanisms employed in the evidentiary phase, and monitoring of the effectiveness of existing legal resources so that special attention may be paid to dispute resolution with a gender focus. Work is being done with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). DECO is currently in the development phase for a draft methodology to provide specific recommendations to electoral bodies DECO has also made efforts to facilitate the Plurinational Electoral Organ of Bolivia’s development of an audited voter registry and tools to improve the ongoing, constant updating of this registry (2017). Results include: (i) preparation of a concept paper with standards and guidelines for auditing the various processes necessary for creating a voter registry, a statistical sample to hold a “two-way” audit to verify registry information with citizens, and an operation plan to conduct the audit; (ii) implementation of the audit in its various phases, followed by the drafting of recommendations to improve the ongoing, constant updating of this registry; and (iii) definition of a procedure to create a Voter Registry Oversight Commission.

b) Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions

Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS)

Analysis of Colombia’s internal armed conflict shows that armed confrontation has exacerbated the violence and discrimination antedating the conflict and has been used in that context

- 37 - to serve interests of different armed actors. The internal armed conflict has had different manifestations and impacts on different populations and groups, especially women. Recognition of such types of discrimination the context of the conflict and its differentiated impacts on the population is the foundation on which public policies should be developed that take account of such differences in providing care and protection, and ensuring women the effective enjoyment of their rights.

Since 2012, MAPP/OAS has been establishing guidelines for implementing the gender equity and women’s rights approach in its support, monitoring, and verification efforts. It has also worked to mainstream these approaches in public policy and promote participation by victims and civil society. In the context of this work, Mission officials are kept informed internally of progress, issues, and challenges in the area of gender and women’s rights by means of a newsletter the distribution of which is limited to Mission personnel.

Moreover, through the development of various documents, the institutional position of MAPP/OAS has been established in the context of its work. These documents are used to identify matters that in the current environment are strategic and that, therefore, should be taken into account in the short and medium term in connection with a gender and women’s rights perspective. This enabled MAPP/OAS to develop the document titled: Línea argumentativa de enfoques diferenciales [Argument for differentiated approaches]. Documents of this type serve as technical and conceptual contributions to the Mission’s strategic and operational decision-making.

Throughout 2016, special emphasis was placed on strengthening the gender approach in the monitoring activities carried out by in the MAPP/OAS thematic areas of peacebuilding, transitional justice, and territorial dynamics. These efforts resulted in specific exercises to monitor Colombian state peace policies. These exercises were designed to provide recommendations to the government, as well as affirmative actions to guarantee rights from a differentiated, gender perspective. The most noteworthy exercises were:  Post-judgment monitoring of the land and territories restitution policy, from the women’s rights perspective. The places monitored were Tablón de Gómez (Nariño), San Carlos (Antioquia), and La Palma (Cundinamarca). These sites were chosen because they had the highest number of women benefiting from the Victims and Land Restitution Law (Law 1448/114). The purpose of the exercise was to monitor the cases of women and children that had been decided by the civil court specializing in land restitution, in order to identify the level of satisfaction and effective enjoyment of the rights of women and children in the post-judgment phase.  MAPP-OEA has visited the women’s prison “El Buen Pastor” to monitor prison conditions for inmates who are housed together in ward (6) and who have been convicted of crimes linked to the insurgencies or for belonging to the insurgency. The mission also conducted two visits to determine the health conditions of the female inmates and the facility and hospital network’s response capabilities. The mission is also currently promoting a permanent round table to monitor the health conditions of female inmates of this prison center. It has also promoted an inter-agency day of health. The monitoring has established that the rights of the female members of insurgent groups who are prisoners have been impaired due to policies lacking a gender approach. It was also noted that, in almost all of the facilities, conjugal visits are conducted under degrading circumstances, both in terms of physical and sanitary conditions, as well as the treatment inmates and their partners receive. These and other recommendations stemming from

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the monitoring were sent to the competent institution, in a report called “Situación de salud de las internas de las FARC-EP - Reclusión de mujeres “El Buen Pastor” – Bogotá” [Health Conditions of the FARC-EP Female Inmates – Women’s Prison “El Buen Pastor” – Bogota].  In June 2016, a special newsletter on the gender approach was circulated internally to build institutional capacity among mission staff. This newsletter addressed concepts surrounding gender, sex, sexual orientation, and non-heteronormative gender expression. It also provided information on the main events, news, and progress on gender and women’s rights matters.

 On September 5, MAPP/OAS was invited to speak on the topic of gender, war, and peacebuilding on the radio program “Saberes para contar” at the University of Antioquia’s Institute of Regional Studies in Medellin, Colombia. They spoke about the challenges in the reintegration process for men and women with two people who had benefited from the reintegration policy established by the Colombian government.

Methodological tool for Video-Transformation: Preparation of a video-transformation tool is slated for March. This is a reconciliation tool for demobilized women, women victims of the Colombian armed conflict, and women residing in vulnerable regions of the Valle del Cauca department. The methodological tool is expected to contribute to building an environment of reconciliation in Colombia through self-awareness and the individual and collective empowerment of demobilized women, victims, and residents affected by the armed conflict in the Valle del Cauca department. The project will be carried out by the Colombian Reintegration Agency, Municipal Mayor’s Office for the city of Cali (Valle del Cauca), and the Unit for Comprehensive Victim Support and Reparation (UARIV). MAPP/OAS has worked internally on institution building measures on matters of gender and women’s rights. In 2012, it adopted the “Internal Handbook on Analysis Using a Gender Perspective”; subsequently, in 2015, it adopted the document: Línea argumentativa de enfoques diferenciales [Argument for differentiated approaches]. These instruments have helped ensure that the work to collect, systematize, and interpret the information emerging from monitoring and support efforts is conducted paying particular attention to gender roles and relations. In some areas, this has enabled differentiated recommendations and proposals to further efforts to obtain greater gender equity in the framework of peacebuilding in Colombia. They also serve as technical and conceptual input for the mission’s strategic and operational decision making. Several trainings have also been provided to enhance the conceptual and technical understanding of mission staff on the various aspects associated with the gender approach. Several OAS bodies and departments specializing on the topic have partnered in conducting these trainings, including the training in 2016 of 16 MAPP/OAS staff, as part of the seventh and eighth 9-week online courses offered by the CIM on Gender Equality and Rights Approach in Policies, Programs, and Projects. Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras

The MACCIH-OEA boasts a logical framework designed to implement activities. The gender and women’s rights perspective has been horizontally integrated into this framework. This can be seen in the diverse performance indicators used to measure the success of the mission under this approach. Each of the four (4) divisions of the MACCIH-OEA is expected to include a gender and women’s rights perspective. For example, the principles of gender equity will be employed when

- 39 - selecting legal experts (judges, prosecutors, and forensic experts, among others) and other local and international professionals working for the MACCIH-IEA. Training will be provided to these professionals on matters of gender equity and women’s rights, among others. Civil society organizations working on issues related to gender and women’s rights will be invited to participate in creating the Observatory, which will monitor and evaluate the Honduran criminal justice system. The MACCIH-OEA will also address issues concerning reforms in the political-electoral arena; it will submit proposals on the following topics: (i) public financing for women’s political leadership and (ii) media coverage and advertising on women’s participation in politics. Lastly, the protection system for justice operators and whistleblowers of corruption, which the mission hopes to establish, would pay particular attention to women, other minority groups, and at-risk populations.

Peace Fund

Although the Office in the Adjacency Zone between Belize and Guatemala of the Peace Fund is a civilian peace-keeping mission whose mandate is not specifically focused on gender mainstreaming, but rather on consolidating peace and promoting confidence-building mechanisms, the Peace Fund strives to mainstream gender in all its activities and projects.

The OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone between Belize and Guatemala (OAS/ZA) has responsibility for investigating and reporting incidents arising in the Adjacency Zone; promoting communication and rapprochement between the armed and security forces of the two receiving countries, and holding periodic coordination meetings; promoting a culture of peace among children and youth living in the Adjacency Zone; supportive interinstitutional coordination among and training for relevant groups, such as customs and border administration officials, natural disaster organizations, and institutions responsible for forest reserves, among others; promoting development and technical cooperation in the most vulnerable communities; making available humanitarian assistance to those directly impacted by the conflict; and executing resettlement projects to relocate settlers covered by the MFC and who wish to be returned voluntarily to their country of origin.

Another mandate of the OAS/ZA Office is to promote greater communication and coordination, as well as rapprochement, among officials of Belize and Guatemala, different government entities, local and central, and the communities in the ZA. Specifically, the OAS/ZA Office coordinates, organizes, and hosts monthly operations coordination meetings between the Belize Defense Forces (BDF) and the Army of Guatemala for information-sharing on the security situation in the ZA, verify incidents, or schedule contact patrols.

Additionally, support for children and youth is a fundamental aspect of Mission efforts in the Adjacency Zone between Belize and Guatemala aimed at promoting and developing a culture of peace. To that end, in coordination with mayors of communities on both sides of the Adjacency Line (Melchor de Menco and Benque Viejo, Santa Cruz, and Jalacte), the communities of Santa Cruz, Guatemala and Jalacte, Belize, the OAS/ZA Office is implementing a Culture of Peace program. This consists of music workshops (wind and string instruments), singing, painting, and theatre workshops, and training programs for Guatemalan and Belizean students living in the area. The Culture of Peace program promotes gender equality values in all its workshops and with its students. Thus far, over 2,000 children and youth have benefited from this program. The aim will be participation by men and women in all of the activities carried out by the OAS/ZA Office. Although in general, it is Guatemalan men who enter the Adjacency Zone

- 40 - administered by Belize to carry out activities enabling them to support their families, and, therefore it is Guatemalan men who are arrested by the Belize defense forces, leaving their wives and partners without income while they serve their sentences in Belizean prisons, the aim of the program will be to provide training for both these men and women of the communities so that training is more comprehensive throughout the community. The Peace Fund also provides humanitarian aid for specific incidents to alleviate family situations when the men are detained or the household’s main source of income disappears. This humanitarian aid is always provided as temporary, emergency assistance. Lastly, in light of UN Resolution 212 (2013), which asks for more women in dispute resolution functions and high-level positions in matters of peace, it is important to highlight that for the first time a woman has been appointed to the position of Special Representative of the Secretary- General.

4. Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity (SARE)

The SARE was created by Executive Order 08-01 Rev.9, “Structure of the General Secretariat, on December 11, 2015. It is composed of the Department of Social Inclusion and the Relations with Civil Society Section. The Inter-American Program of Judicial Facilitators also reports to this Secretariat.

a) Department of Social Inclusion

This department was originally created by Executive Order 08-01 Rev.7, “Structure of the General Secretariat, on December 1, 2014, under the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development, covering the areas of development and social protection, migration, persons with disabilities, older persons, and consumer protection. However, since December 11, 2015 (Executive Order 08-01 rev.9), it has been part of the SARE.

DSI participated as panelist at the Inter-regional workshop on regional organizations and the promotion of Gender Equality and the Political Empowerment Women,” organized by IDEA, Community of Democracy, and the United Nations Development Program. The speech given by the DSI director was entitled: “Linking Women’s Economic and Political Empowerment: The OAS Social Inclusion and Equity Agenda.” The DSI presented an analysis of the progress and shortfalls in our region on women’s exercise of civil and political rights, as well as social, economic, and cultural rights. It drew parallels between the two areas of rights and demonstrated that the current greatest challenge for obtaining gender equality is advancing the economic, social, and cultural rights of women and girls. The Inter-Regional Workshop on Regional Organizations and the Promotion of Gender Equality and the Political Empowerment of Women was designed to foster broader debate and exchange on the topic and link it to goals 4, 5, and 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The workshop brought together high-level representatives of regional organizations, the UN, CSOs, and experts in these fields to present regional innovations and experiences and to host a key interactive discussion on the matter. A project slated for September 2016 to October 2017 on the Inter-American System of Education seeks to ensure that member states have standardized, updated information on promising policies and practices on social-educational inclusion, in order to review, evaluate, and reform ongoing initiatives to comprehensively improve the quality of education. Current progress is being made in developing a matrix of factors that lead to educational inequality, with an emphasis on at-

- 41 - risk populations, including girls in primary and secondary education. A review of new literature on the topic reveals that among these factors is the lack of gender equality on an individual level, as well as in the social and family spheres, in schools for students, in health and mother-child education, as well as violence in the family, social, and community spheres. Literature also shows that education policies must incorporate a gender equity perspective in factors related to education supply and demand. The findings of this matrix will be compiled in a document to be shared with all OAS areas and member states. This project is being carried out in partnership with the Government of Colombia, the Inter-American Development Bank, Development Bank of Latin America, World Bank, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and co-sponsored by the IDB, CAF, and the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China.

The project Voceras Comunitarias de la Nutrición en la zona del Corredor Seco de Guatemala [Community Spokeswomen on Nutrition in the Corredor Seco Region of Guatemala], launched in February 2017, seeks to provide technical know-how, strategies, and leadership and communication tools to participants, by harnessing information communications technologies to replicate the knowledge gained. The program also includes a nutrition-focused literacy program. To date, the project has been approved in the framework of the CEP and seed money has been obtained to begin work. The partners for this project include the Government of the Republic of Guatemala (Ministry of Education, Secretariat for Food and Nutrition Safety, inter alia), the IIN and IICA. .

i) Promotion of Equity Section

The III Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Social Development (REMDES), held in the framework of CIDI-OAS, of which the SARE Promotion of Equity Section serves as the Technical Secretariat, adopted the commitment in Article 4 of the declaration to promote gender mainstreaming in social development policies, bearing in mind not only the substantial contributions that women make to sustainable development, economic growth, elimination of poverty, and reduction of inequality, including in their unpaid work in the home and as care providers, but also the need for women’s empowerment in bringing about the elimination of gender inequality and the full exercise of their rights. The Technical Secretariat proposes conducting follow-up on this commitment by holding virtual discussions and webinars with the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN). The document “Equity and Social Inclusion: Overcoming Inequities for More Inclusive Societies” includes an article to promote the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in social development policies.

Work of the Technical Secretariat of the Protocol of San Salvador Working Group. (PSS). As the Technical Secretariat for the Working Group to Examine the Periodic Reports on the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, “Protocol of San Salvador” (PSS), the Secretariat provides technical assistance to states party for preparing their national reports on the progress countries have made in fulfilling economic, social, and cultural rights. Article 3 of the protocol stipulates the “Obligation of Nondiscrimination” for reasons of, among others, “sex […] or any other social condition.” The reports are organized according to (i) a system of progress indicators set for each of the seven economic, social, and cultural rights that include a cross-cutting gender equity approach, as well as (ii) the follow-up on the adoption of relevant groundbreaking legal frameworks. Additionally, the states party provide information (to the extent possible) that is disaggregated by sex; based on this data, general observations and recommendations are offered. The Protocol of San Salvador was

- 42 - adopted in 1988 and has been in force since 1999. It has been signed by 19 member states and ratified by16.

The first round of national reports for the first cluster of rights contained in the PSS were submitted by the states party in June 2014. These reports are a key tool in recording progress made, including: fostering and including women in paid domestic work; recognition of some of the time contributions made by women with children or caring for children, up to a certain year cap; special reparations measures (i.e. pensions for children of women victims of domestic violence who have been orphaned and for victims of violent crimes); extension of and payment for maternity leave and the implementation of parental benefits; and inclusion of women in social security, for the purpose of formalizing their employment relationship and for the effective protection entailed by social security coverage. Progress reports for the second cluster of rights were submitted December 31 for advances made through year end.

The virtual seminar “Gender, Equity, and Social Inclusion Agenda” was held March 4, 2016 as part of the Inter-American Social Protection Dialogues and in the framework of the virtual platform for the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN). The seminar included a panel composed of the DSI director and a CIM specialist, and hosted 19 participants from throughout the region. The IASPN was created in 2009 to promote the exchange and transfer of experiences and knowledge on social protection among member state ministries of social development and national agencies that implement policies on social protection, poverty reduction, and inequality.

Executive Order 16-05, issued August 4, 2016, mandated the mainstreaming of the principles, policies, and strategies of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the General Secretariat for all initiatives, programs, and projects, and General Secretariat partnership initiatives with other agencies working on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. In keeping with this mandate, the Promotion of Equity Section has fostered the following partnerships to promote coordination of efforts, experiences, and knowledge among support organizations in member states to achieve the SDGs, specifically, gender equality (SDG No. 5), including:

- Interinstitutional Partnership signed between OAS-PAHO on August 19, 2016 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender-related issues to be addressed: social inclusion and social determinants for health and equity, with an emphasis on at-risk populations, like women and girls, non-communicable diseases. - Interinstitutional Partnership signed between OAS-UNFPA and PAHO on October 13, 2016 to achieve the SDGs. Gender-related issues to be addressed: maternal health agenda, universal access to quality healthcare services, and the improved well-being of women and children, based on an equity approach.

Previously, the Project to follow up on the Project on Participatory Gender Assessments (PGA) in Three Countries of the Region was executed in the framework of the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN) and the CIM. An output thereof was a publication with the CIM in 2015 covering the results of the three PGA conducted in the Ministries of Social Development of Guatemala, Uruguay, and Paraguay, including the implementation of the Plan of Action in the Secretariat of Social Affairs of Paraguay. As part of the Pilot Project on Participatory Gender Assessments (PGA) in Three Countries of the Region 2013-2014,executed with the CIM, training was provided for a group of officials of the

- 43 - ministries of social development and of the national machinery for the advancement of women of the three countries participating in the PGA methodology. Through the execution of this project, designed to develop and build human and institutional capacities of the ministries of social development of the OAS member states by conducting PGAs, a Plan of Action for mainstreaming gender and rights was prepared and delivered to those ministries as a main output. The project was funded by the Government of the United States. The CIM participated at all stages of this project and provided the advice and technical assistance required. The PGA tool and methodology, an OAS/CIM output, has been taken up again by the CIM for adaptation in the context of the national machinery for the advancement of women and its application by that machinery in other State institutions. It has also been taken up again for implementation in the GS/OAS. ii) Inclusion of Vulnerable Populations Section

Migration

In relation to the topic of migration, the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI) aims to document annual trends in migrant movements across the Hemisphere. Among its priorities is understanding the peculiarities of feminine migration in the region in order to design policies that take these into consideration. The gender variable has been considered in SICREMI reports, which have even dedicated entire chapters to the so-called feminization of migration.

Protection of Persons with Disabilities

A Policy to Mainstream the Disability Perspective within the OAS has been proposed for the GS/OAS, in accordance with AG/RES. 2731 of 2012. It will be shared with the CIM as it will include potential means of cooperation to promote the rights of women with disabilities. Similarly, all projects and initiatives developed by this authority must maintain a gender balance in the design, implementation, and selection of participants. The proposed policy aims to promote equal opportunities and equal treatment for women and men with disabilities, as well as the enforcement of international and regional standards on the rights of persons with disabilities throughout all OAS operations. The goal is to create a hemispheric discourse and policy that are consistent with the slogan “More Rights for More People.”

The project “Strengthening the Competences of Justice Operators and Other Actors on the Exercise of the Legal Capacity and Access to Justice of Persons with Disabilities” provides training to justice operators and civil society on the right to personal autonomy and to decision making in all spheres of life. Women with disabilities are particularly susceptible to seeing these rights restricted. Efforts are made to ensure a gender balance in the training team and in selecting participants.

In the framework of the Program of Action for the Decade of the Americas for the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (PAD) (2006-2016) [AG/RES. 2339 (XXXVII-O/07)], the gender variable has been included in the request for progress reports submitted by states, in keeping with the CIADDIS-PAD. Progress report evaluation comprises 50 compliance indicators, most of which are disaggregated by sex, among other variables. There is also an entire section on the format for gathering information on persons with disabilities living a violence-free life; this section is devised to receive information on domestic violence or, more generally, gender-based violence. The Committee to Follow-up on CIADDIS is reviewing the Second Compliance Report from member

- 44 - states; the report is based on the nine PAD objectives and a program of specific actions. The committee is developing recommendations and observations for each country for all compliance indicators. There are currently seven countries that have not yet submitted their reports; these will be reviewed at the next regular CEDDIS meeting. The commitment to this Plan of Action for the Decade was recently renewed through 2026 by the OAS General Assembly during its last regular session in June 2016. In conjunction with this renewal, there is discussion of the possibility of updating the PAD to reflect new human rights standards and include, inter alia, more explicit details relating to women and girls with disabilities. Indigenous Peoples and Persons of African Descent In December 2016, the DSI, in partnership with two civil society organizations in Ecuador, presented a project to the UNDEF to promote the empowerment of indigenous and Afro-descendent women with disabilities in the Esmeraldas community, as part of post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in the country.

Protection of older persons

Technical and executive assistance is being provided to the Secretariat of the Working Group on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older Persons (DHPM). This working group had responsibility for supporting the negotiation of the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons. Throughout the negotiation of the draft convention, account was taken of gender equality and of the binding international and inter-American human rights instruments. The principle of gender equality was included in different articles of the text adopted.

c) Relations with Civil Society Section

As for activities with civil society organizations (CSO), efforts are being made to ensure gender balance therein, depending on the availability of resources for financing participation in activities by representatives of this sector, including the formation of panels for the plenary sessions of forums.

Over the years, the OAS has carried out activities on Promoting Greater Participation of CSOs in the Work of the OAS by facilitating consultation processes with a balanced regional representation among sector stakeholders. These efforts have also included providing gender- sensitive recommendations to OAS member states and the General Secretariat for the General Assembly and ministerial meeting preparations. Furthermore, the office carries out the project on Promotion of greater participation by civil society and social actors in the Summits Process, through actions allowing the presentation of recommendations, an output of online and on-site consultations, to OAS member states on the decision-making process, such as, at the level of the Summits Implementation Review Group (SIRG).

d) Inter-American Program for Judicial Facilitators (IPJF)

The IPJF is a regional program whose aim is to provide access to justice for vulnerable populations. In its framework, gender has been mainstreamed in training for and discussions with more than 11,000 facilitators, gender-related training included in the Program’s diploma course for 7,500 graduates, and the figure of 40% of female facilitators (over 50% in Panama) achieved. Prior to

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2015, the CIM, at the request of the Program, provided training on gender and rights to the managers of the IPJF and its coordinator (the OAS Representative in Panama), some years ago provided technical assistance in the strategic planning process and revised the Program’s diploma program content to ensure the mainstreaming of gender and rights. The IPJF works to implement the mainstreaming strategy by (i) promoting the appointment of an equal number of women and men as facilitators; (ii) providing training on topics that specifically affect women and how to address these issues; (iii) training on gender aspects in post-graduate degrees for justice operators; (iv) developing gender equity policies for the technical team; and (v) promoting training of teams on gender issues.

5. Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI)

a) Department of Economic Development (DED)

The DESD, in each of its sections, promotes gender equality and human rights through the following projects and programs.

i) Trade and Economic Development Section

The Economic Empowerment and Trade Program is designed to help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) make the most of business opportunities linked to international trade and tourism. It seeks to foster the economic inclusion of MSMEs run by women and vulnerable groups (small farmers, small tourism enterprises, indigenous groups, and youth) and to provide support for institutional and human strengthening in the areas of the negotiation, implementation, and management of trade agreements.

As a follow-up to the IV Inter-American Dialogue of High MSME Authorities: Public Policies to Enhance Competitiveness, Innovation, and Internationalization of MSMEs, and in preparation for the V Dialogue slated for 2017 in Mexico, a videoconference was held so countries could continue sharing good practices and identifying specific opportunities for horizontal cooperation. The meeting focused on topics related to traditional micro and small enterprises and the role of women entrepreneurs. It was held in partnership with the Mexican Instituto Nacional del Emprendedor (National Institute of the Entrepreneur, INADEM), Women in International Trade (BWIT),trade missions, Consultations and Outreach Division, Global Affairs Canada, and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).

This program provided the framework for carrying out the project “Establishment of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) in CARICOM Member States” (2012–2018), designed to strengthen institutions that support MSMEs in the CARICOM countries on the basis of the successful SBDC model in the United States. This pilot model is currently moving forward in eight CARICOM counties (Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda). Partners in this effort are the Government of the United States (United States Mission to the OAS), Caribbean Export, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The project has promoted the participation of women entrepreneurs. The SBDCs established have offered assistance to a large number of young women entrepreneurs, who constitute the majority of SBDC clients.

The Training of Trainers in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for MSME Development Centers Program, aimed at businesswomen and female entrepreneurs in Central

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America and the Dominican Republic and in the Caribbean (2012–2015) seeks to promote technological adaptation of the women’s business community through MSME development centers in the region. The idea is to boost women’s competitiveness by providing support for their incorporation into the information society based on four core elements: (i) awareness raising and training (e-competencies); (ii) advice; (iii) individualized support; and (iv) active monitoring of the adaptation process. In the period, the Training of Trainers on ICTs module, aimed at service for businesswomen and female entrepreneurs, was prepared from a comprehensive regional perspective in the Caribbean. 34 advisors were trained on the use of ICTS designed to serve businesswomen and female entrepreneurs. The program is being implemented in coordination with the Government of Canada and Caribbean Export.

ii) Competitiveness, Innovation, and Technology Section (SCIT)

The Fourth Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology, held in Guatemala, in March 2015, was an opportunity to further mainstream gender and rights on the hemispheric science and technology agenda initially decided at the first ministerial meeting held in this sector, in 2004. At the Fourth Meeting, the Plan of Action of Guatemala 2016-2020 was adopted, which incorporates gender as a crosscutting theme and contains specific mandates in this area. As part of the follow-up on the objectives of the Plan of Action of Guatemala and in order to share good practices and ideas and to present proposals with a hemisphere-wide scope, the Working Groups of the Inter-American Committee on Science and Technology (COMCYT) were created. In this framework, nine videoconferences were held in 2016 with COMCYT WGs 1, 2, and 4, with a focus on innovation, human resources education and training, and technological development, respectively. Each of these videoconferences aimed to meet one or several of the following objectives: (i) underscore the role of women’s scientific and technological contributions in the region and provide successful examples of women/women role models in these areas; (ii) provide incentives for women to join and remain in science- and technology-related professions and engineering; (iii) promote equal conditions in the workplace; (iv) promote access to leadership and decision-making positions for women in the fields of science, technology, and innovation in the region; and (v) foster measures for the equitable participation of women in the development of the knowledge society, as well as for equal access to the benefits of said society. The videoconferences also encouraged the active participation of both men and women in these events.

Among the most notable women speakers were: Gloria Bonder, Coordinator, UNESCO Regional Chair on Women, Science and Technology in Latin America; Dolores Sanchez Soler, Assistant Director of CONACYT Post-graduate Programs and Scholarships in Mexico; Rebecca Batista, Coordinator of the Agrobusiness Technology Park in El Salvador; Gail Cohen, Executive Director of the US National Academies of Science Council on Science, Technology, and Economic Policies; Cecilia Paredes, Academic Vice-President of the Escuela Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Ecuador; Maria Larrondo Petrie, Executive Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI); Daniela Iacona, Senior Manager of International Relations, ABET; and Lissa Matyas, Director of International Partnerships, MITACS, Canada.

The CONACYT-OAS-AMEXCID Scholarship Program offers scholarships for Master’s or doctoral studies in the areas of science and technology at Mexican universities. Two rounds of scholarship assignment were completed in 2016. During the last Assignment Committee meeting to place CONACYT-OAS-AMEXCID scholarships, held on October 31, 2016, 44% of the 306

- 47 - scholarships to students from 20 countries were granted to women. This scholarship program operates under Working Group 2 of the COMCYT on Human Resources Education and Training, in partnership with CONACYT, AMEXCID (Mexico), and PAHO.

The Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Work Plan for 2016-2018, in Objective 8, aims to strengthen RIAC efforts on issues of gender equity and equality through the Working Group on Gender and Competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE) was held as part of two activities in April 2016 in Arizona and California and in September 2016 in Ontario, Canada. The goal was to offer a one-week business tour to 50+ leaders and public policy makers from the Americas and around the world to share knowledge and best practices; identify opportunities for collaboration; and strengthen economic development, competitiveness, and regional, national, and local development. The activities in both events gave great importance to gender equity both in the selection of speakers and participants, as well as event content. The ACE held in Canada concluded with a special panel on women in the sciences, in which the Canadian Minister of Science, Kristi Duncan, and the Premier of the Province of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, participated. There was also a chat session on women in innovation, held to share successful policies and programs designed to promote women leadership and participation in advanced technology companies, as well as universities and the public sector.

iii) Culture and Tourism Section

The project “Expanding the Socioeconomic Potential of Cultural Heritage in the Caribbean. Phase II: Implementation of Project Components” (January 2015–January 2017) seeks to strengthen the capacity of participating countries in the preservation, development, and use of cultural heritage resources, with local community involvement in legislation and fiscal policy. The project underscores the role of men and women and incorporates gender equity as a fundamental principle in public policy on planning for and participating in cultural heritage. Special attention is given to gender inclusion in formulating the organizational plan of the Cultural Heritage Network and in selecting scholarship recipients for online courses. The expected outputs are: (a) a cultural heritage network established in the Caribbean, and an online platform; (b) guidelines for evaluating and improving legislation on cultural heritage protection and on related policies and financial incentives; (c) a regional model for the establishment of national registers of cultural heritage and historic sites; (d) a regional model for public participation in sustainable cultural heritage-related tourism; and (e) online training courses on cultural heritage. This project was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the United States. The partners include the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Culture of Grenada; the Grenada National Trust; St. George’s University; Grenada National Museum; the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill and Open campuses, Barbados/Jamaica; Saint Christopher National Trust; The Nevis Historical and Architectural Society, Saint Kitts and Nevis; Bahamas Antiquities, Monuments, and Museums Corporation; the Society for Heritage Architectural Preservation and Enhancement (SHAPE), Dominica; The National Trust, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the University of Georgia, Dean Rusk Center; the National Register of Historic Sites, United States; Leiden University, Netherlands; and the International Council on Monuments and Sites/National Committees in the Americas and worldwide.

The project Small Tourism Enterprise Network (2012–2017) is an integrated network of public, private, and community strategies for providing support to MSMEs in the tourism industry in

- 48 - the Caribbean and Latin America. It held the Fourth Inter-American Gathering of Owners and Operators of Small Hotels, on October 20-21, 2016, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, at which the Network’s authorities furthered the implementation and preparation of different activities for strengthening the Network and its partners. It was noted that the majority of participants were businesswomen. According to available data, most operators and managers of small tourism businesses, especially in the lodging subsector in the Caribbean and Latin America, tend to be women.

The project Increasing Tourism Competitiveness through Sustainable Destination Management and Capacity Building in the Caribbean and Central America (2014-2016) was created to help tourist destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean to safeguard their natural and cultural assets, while enhancing the life of communities, and securing a vibrant regional economy. During the second year of implementation of the Sustainable Destinations Alliance for the Americas (SDAA), efforts were made in all activities to ensure diversity for youth, minorities, and indigenous groups for the Destination Stewardship Councils (DSC) project. Partners included the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Permanent Mission of the United States, Sustainable Tourism International, and the Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism from Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.

b) Department of Human Development, Education, and Employment (DHDEE)

The DHDEE closely monitors gender distribution in its different activities and types of scholarship and student loan programs. In addition, it provides regular support for scholarship and training programs designed especially to step up gender mainstreaming in a wide variety of fields.

i) Human Development, Education, and Employment Section

Education

In the area of Education, the Eighth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education held on February 4 and 5, 2015, in Panama City, under the theme "Building an Inter-American Agenda: Education with Equity for Prosperity" (CIDI /RME/RES.1/15), resolved, inter alia, to adopt mandates on quality, inclusive and equitable education; and to consider, among the transversal elements of the Inter-American Educational Agenda (IEA), the promotion of gender mainstreaming and the principles of equity and inclusion in the design of educational policies, strategies and programs. The IEA was adopted through the Declaration of The Bahamas at the XI Meeting of Ministers of Education in Nassau, Bahamas, February 16-17, 2017. The IEA seeks to strengthen inter-American cooperation and coordination of efforts with other international, regional, and subregional organizations to guarantee an inclusive, equitable, and quality education, as well as to promote life- long learning opportunities for all, and in so doing, support member states in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in general, and SDG No. 4, in particular.

The Inter-American Teacher Education Network (ITEN) promotes gender and rights equality through the design and implementation of activities, in order to promote opportunities for girls and women to develop skills in the use of ICTs and therefore to reduce the gender divide in the labor

- 49 - market and enable those girls and women to become active citizens in their communities. The network has different tools at its disposal: - ITEN – Virtual Seminars (webinars) (2013-2018), on topics related to the incorporation of a gender perspective in classrooms, seek to promote the professional development of teachers in the Americas. The network offers monthly webinars to promote effective teaching strategies, including inclusive strategies that actively encourage learning among both genders. Webinars are conducted in collaboration with representatives from various organizations, including the International Literacy Association –ILA. - ITEN – Virtual Toolkit (Toolkits) (2015–2018) seeks to promote critical thinking skills in students, including a gender perspective, taking into account the particular characteristics, challenges, and needs of girls and boys in the learning process. Since its launch in 2015 and through November 30, 2016, the toolkit “Pedagogical Strategies for Developing Critical Thinking” has registered 4,606 participants in the forum in English and 4,150 in Spanish. The terminology used for the content in both languages in completely equitable as refers to gender. This toolkit is made possible through a strategic partnership with UDEMY, which provides the virtual platform to make the toolkit widely available. - ITEN – A Bilingual Virtual Community (2013–2018), aimed at promoting the professional development of teachers through an interactive platform linking teachers across the region. To date, the ITEN virtual community consists of nearly 26,000, 62% of whom are women. Authors and prominent individuals—both female and male—are involved equitably in decisions on course content.

- RIED – Audio Programs (2015-2018) seek to promote the professional development of teachers in the Americas, especially those with limited access to the Internet. Two audio series: one 7- episode series in English and another 10 episodes in Spanish were developed.h. These two series use gender-inclusive language; have strong and affable characters of both sexes; and include segments designed to promote gender equity in the classroom.

Educational Portal of the Americas (EPA) The portal monitors the gender breakdown in the participant selection process for online courses and virtual tutors. It periodically offers, in conjunction with the CIM, the virtual CIM/OAS course “Rights-based and Gender Equality Approach to Policies, Programs, and Projects.” This course is provided to GS/OAS staff (10 weeks), as well as staff from other organizations and professionals from throughout the region (nine weeks), to address topics related to the policy, program, and project cycle in various areas. To date, the course has been held eight times – twice during this period: the seventh (March 3-May 25, with 110 participants from the region – 90% women and 10% men) and the eighth (October 19-December 21, with 52 participants from the region – 90% women and 10% men). During these two latter courses, the CIM and the Portal granted partial scholarships to most of the participants and full scholarships to the 30 OAS staff who participated. The total contribution for the training was US$15,000. The course includes a community of practice so the participants can build their knowledge and skills in a collaborative environment. The OAS and CIM scholarship programs have also granted scholarships to professionals from the region. A second online course was launched with the CIM on “Strategic Planning with a Gender Approach.” The first such 10-week course was completed during this period (August 24-November 3, 2016), with 25 participants from the region (83% women and 17% men). The CIM and the Portal granted partial scholarships for this course.

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Scholarship area Scholarships include the Program for Academic Scholarships, Scholarships for Professional Development, Partnership Program for Education and Training, and the Scholarship Program for Haiti. The OAS, through its scholarship area, fosters gender parity in selecting the recipients for its various scholarship programs. It also promotes gender and rights equality and women’s empowerment in the Hemisphere. The Scholarships for Professional Development program promotes the gender and human rights approach; for the fourth consecutive year, it has granted scholarships for the OAS Inter-American Commission of Women online course, offered in collaboration with the Educational Portal of the Americas, on the topic of “Rights-based and Gender Equality Approach to Policies, Programs, and Projects.” For this period, the course was held October 19-December 21, 2016 and 37 scholarships were provided, of which 84% went to women.

Similarly, four scholarships (99% to women) were provided for the online course held July 18- October 21, 2016 by the International Interdisciplinary Studies Center (CIESI) in Peru, on the topic of “Especialista en intervención con agresores de violencia de género” [Intervention Specialist for Gender-Based Violence Offenders]. A further eight scholarships (63% to women) were provided for the online course “Human Rights and Public Policies,” offered by the National Distance Education University (UNED). Ten scholarships (99% to women) were granted for the “Certificate in Human Rights, Disability, and Inclusive Education,” offered by the OAS Department of Social Inclusion and the University of Chile, through the Continuing Education Program for Faculty of the School of Philosophy and Humanities.

Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund The Rowe Fund is an educational loan program that helps citizens from Latin America and Caribbean OAS member states finance their studies or research in the United States by awarding interest-free loans of up to US$15,000 dollars. The fund also supports OAS staff through financial assistance for their professional development or that of their dependents. The Rowe fund program monitors the gender breakdown of its awards and has compiled data disaggregated by sex since 1995. This data reveals the increased engagement of women at all levels of education. The fund seeks to also mainstream the gender perspective in the areas of study it finances. In 2016, 61.7% of the loans were granted to women for higher studies in the United States, as compared to only one-third in 1995. A total of 41.2% of the loans were given to OAS staff.

ii) Employment and Labor Section

The commitment of OAS member states to gender equality was evident during the XIX Inter- American Conference of Minsters of Labor held in Cancun in 2015. Member states approved and even extended the commitments that were adopted more than a decade ago on gender issues in decent work. The Declaration of Cancun committed to strengthening policies and programs to secure substantive equality between men and women in the labor market; it also reaffirmed its commitment to mainstreaming the gender perspective in labor and employment policies; the eradication of gender- or sexual orientation-based discrimination, harassment, and violence; and a balance between family

- 51 - and work responsibilities. Working Group 1, which oversees implementation of the Declaration of Cancun, is charged with gender mainstreaming efforts in labor policies. The area of labor and employment has been working with the CIM since 2006 to promote gender mainstreaming in the policies, programs, and operations of the ministries of labor. These efforts have led to consolidation of the gender and women’s rights-based approach in the policy documents of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (IACML) and in the set of specific actions held in the framework of the IACML and the CIM, ranging from the preparation of studies, the holding of the first and only hemispheric dialogue between the two sectors at the highest level, i.e., between the ministers of labor and the ministers of women’s affairs (2011); and the holding of one hemispheric and four subregional hemispheric workshops, to the preparation of participatory gender audits and other bilateral cooperation activities between labor ministries in the region.

- Three (3) participatory gender audits were conducted, which provided an exhaustive analysis of the incorporation of a gender perspective in the Ministries of Labor of Barbados (October 2011), El Salvador (February 27–March 9, 2012), and Peru (November 12–23, 2012). The audits, which included two weeks of intense work on-site, were conducted by a team of four or five specialists and consultants from the OAS and ILO.

- Three (3) plans of action were developed and approved by consensus within each ministry, with specific activities, the names of persons responsible, and timelines for continuing to promote a gender approach in the Ministries of Labor of Barbados (May 7–11, 2012), El Salvador (July 23–27, 2012), and Peru (September 9–11, 2013). These plans of action were developed during participatory workshops and meetings in each ministry, led by the ILO- OAS specialists who had taken part in the audits.

- The study “Advancing the Institutionalization of a Gender Approach in the Ministries of Labor of the Americas: Lessons learned, findings, and recommendations from three participatory gender audits” was drawn up and published. The ILO; the Ministries of Labor of Barbados, El Salvador, and Peru; and the CIM were the strategic partners in this endeavor. Similarly, with support for the Inter-American Network for Labor Administration (RIAL), the Ministry of Labor and Welfare (MTPS) of El Salvador, in 2015, launched the “Signs of Equality” program, which advises and certifies businesses committed to gender equity. The design and technical support for the launch of this program arose from the experience of the Ministry of Labor of Colombia, which has the Sello Equipares [Gender Equity Seal], with the same objectives. This was possible owing to a cooperation mission organized and financed by RIAL, which enabled a delegation from the MTPS of El Salvador, headed by its Minister, to travel to Bogotá (July 27 to 30, 2015) to receive direct advice and learn about the experience on-site, including visits to businesses.

c) Department of Sustainable Development (DDS)

The DSD encourages the full and equal participation of women in decision making at all levels, in particular in areas aimed at facilitating and promoting harmonious, integrated sustainable development and protection of the environment, including ICTs, with regard to water resources, climate change, natural disasters, biodiversity, and energy. In that framework, the DSD endeavors to implement the Inter-American Strategy (IAS) for the Promotion of Public Participation in Decision-

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Making for Sustainable Development, applying the principle of inclusion so as to ensure the participation of all interested and/or affected parties, as well as mechanisms for achieving durable solutions.

i) Risk Management and Adaptation to Climate Change The DSD works in close collaboration with the Inter-American Commission of Women in matters relating to DRM. This primarily takes the shape of follow-up on mandates associated with mainstreaming a gender and rights perspective in comprehensive disaster risk management. Throughout the period in question, the CIM provided technical assistance on mainstreaming in the development of the “Institutional Policy on Disaster Risk Management,” adopted by the OAS Secretary General in April 2016 by way of Executive Order No. 16-04. The CIM also supported and participated in the training conducted by the OAS Principle Specialist and Chief of Risk Management, as follow-up to the adoption of this policy. More recently, a panel was coordinated with the CIM and the Government of Canada on the topic of “Empowering women and girls and gender equality in disaster risk reduction.” This panel will be held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on March 8, 2017, with opening remarks from Ambassador Carmen Moreno, Executive Secretary of the CIM. This event will take place in the framework of the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas, slated for March 7-9, 2017 and organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Government of Canada. This platform will adopt a Regional Action Plan for the Americas, to be implemented by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The CIM Executive Committee 2010-2012, during its third regular meeting on April 17-18, 2012, in Washington, D.C., approved the technical document “Incorporating a Rights-Based and Gender Perspective in Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management in the Americas” (CIM/CD/doc.33/12). This document was prepared in conjunction with the CIM and the Risk Management and Adaptation to Climate Change Adaptation Section (RISK-MACC). Based on this document, both bodies developed a project to present to donors; the project objectives are still in force. ii. Energy and Climate Change Mitigation Program Over this period, the program supported and participated in moderating the conference on “Gender, Mining, and Water Resources: Interconnections, Challenges, and Future Outlook,” which was held February 16-17, 2017 in Lima, Peru. The CIM provided technical assistance to the DSD. The event was coordinated by the Pontifical Catholic University in Peru, with support from the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute. The event was devised to foster a forum for dialogue and reflection on gender issues in a context of extractive industries, with an emphasis on mining and the use of water resources. Government agencies, including the Peruvian Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, regional and municipal authorities, civil society organizations, mining companies, international organizations, and academia participated in the event.

d) Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP)

The Action Plan of Cartagena 2014–2016 of the CIP defines six priority thematic areas, one of which is “Corporate Social Responsibility and Women in Ports,” which recognizes the role and participation of women in port operations and therefore pursues efforts to promote increased participation by women in the labor force.

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The Outstanding Women in the Maritime and Port Sectors award (January 29 – April 29, 2016) will award a prize to recognize the professional career of outstanding women in the maritime and port sectors, including substantive achievements, as well as their participation in, contribution to, and leadership for the integral development of the ports of the Americas; making visible the essential role of their labor leadership in promoting competitiveness; helping promote gender equality in the member states; and to promoting a competitive, socially responsible, and gender-balanced port sector. Conducted in collaboration with the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) and the CIM. . Eight (8) women from Brazil, Chile, Jamaica, Panama, United States, and Uruguay received the award at the CIP Hemispheric Seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Gender Equality in the Port Sector, in Panama City, Panama on April 29, 2015, with the participation of the CIM.

Hemispheric seminar on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Gender Equality in the Port Sector: From Awareness to Action, to be held April 27 to 29, 2016, in Panama City, Panama, in collaboration with the AMP, the port authorities of the CIP, public and private ports, representatives of the academic community, and leading maritime industry officials. The aim of this seminar is to provide an international platform for dialogue at the highest level of government and of the private sector to identify sound practices promoting sustainable strategic, inclusive, and socially responsible actions; promote socially responsible and gender-balanced port operations through the sharing of best practices among public and private ports, representatives of the academic community, and leading maritime industry officials, and making visible the essential part played by gender equality in promoting competitiveness. Eighty participants from 12 CIP/OAS member states participated and received training on how to promote sustainable strategic actions that are inclusive and socially responsible. They also learned how to foster socially responsible port operations that provide gender equality. e) Young Americas Business Trust (YABT)

Although the YABT does not have a specific mandate, it implements different strategies for mainstreaming gender in its programs, applying the gender perspective in developing its programs, ensuring equitable slots for men and women, supporting the development of programs for women, and promoting the inclusion of women in international events, among others. It also mainstreams gender on the international courses developed through cooperation established with MASHAV(Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), and the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center (MCTC), guaranteeing gender equity in slots and imparting microenterprise development courses in Israel, whose aim is women’s empowerment. Courses are held twice in Israel each year (Spanish and English), providing youth with tools for developing their business ideas and expanding their small enterprises.

- High Impact Women Entrepreneur Award – TIC Americas 2016, which focused on projects targeting women in education, decent employment, work skills that have had an impact in Latin America. Criteria such as leadership, scalable, adaptable business models that have a social impact, etc. were used in determining the winner. This was carried out in partnership with PepsiCo Latin America. - Women Innovator of the Americas Award– TIC Americas 2016. Criteria such as leadership, scalable, adaptable business models that have a social impact, etc. were used in determining the winner. This award was part of the XI Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas (TIC Americas). It was carried out in partnership with the World Bank.

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- Youth Forum of the Americas aims to promote youth political engagement. Scholarships are provided to help women access the political arena. The forum is held on an ongoing basis and in parallel to the Summit of the Americas, in coordination with the host countries of the General Assemblies and Summits. Similar in nature is the Global Entrepreneurship Week, which was held the second week of November 2016 and which promotes the participation of women in international events.

6. Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS)

a) Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission

The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) process is a program ongoing since 2000. It conducts national and hemispheric evaluations of drug control policy in the 34 member states. It has 34 national reports on drug control policies for each evaluation round. Thus far, six evaluation rounds have been completed, and work is being done in 2016 to review the evaluation process in order to begin the seventh round, in 2017, to evaluate the implementation of the Plan of Action (2016-2020) of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy (2010) of CICAD.

The Inter-American Drug Use Data System (SIDUC) in Latin American countries, since 1997, an effort designed to create a hemispheric system of comparable data on drug use. Achievements thus far: (i) epidemiological studies on drug use in all OAS member states; (ii) all studies arising from the SIDUC system have a comprehensive methodology for compiling representative, gender-balanced data at the national level; and (iii) two comprehensive reports on drug use in the Hemisphere (2011 and 2015) that include gender analysis. Participating in these efforts are national drug observatories of member states, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the Canadian Centre on Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

SIDUC–Caribbean: Drug Information Networks, in operation since 2005 for the creation of national drug information networks in the member states of the Caribbean to inform drug policies and practice in those countries. In 2015, an information system on treatment centers was created, showing the range of uniform information on the characteristics of those seeking treatment. This facilitates the gender analysis carried out on this vulnerable group so that the results and recommendations can be linked based on that system. Ten treatment centers of the Caribbean area are taking part.

The International Research Capacity Building Program for Health Related Professionals to Study the Drug Phenomenon in Latin America and the Caribbean, under way since 2003, to enhance the level of drug use-related health sciences. Among its achievements: (i) Over 110 individuals of Latin American and the Caribbean have received graduate level training on drug research and drug use-related health sciences. 69% of the 110 who received training were women; (ii) Over 300 publications on drug use and its consequences and other health-related aspects in Latin America and the Caribbean; (iii) Since project launch, all studies carried out have included gender analysis. Beyond the standard analysis, one study focused specifically on the impact on women of drug use- related violence. The Training and Certification Program for Drug and Violence Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation (PROCCER) is implemented in 22 countries of the Hemisphere by the Demand Reduction Section of CIDAD, with financial cooperation from the Governments of United States and

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Canada. Its aim is to help optimize the quality of care in drug addiction prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services and drug use-related violence by establishing a training and certification mechanism for professionals and nonprofessionals involved in the treatment of individuals with drug- use related problems. In the framework of PROCCER, CICAD is now developing and adapting standards for the development of best practices in drug abuse treatment for women, and developing protocols for issues related to women. The protocols and training curricula for this gender-sensitive component of the PROCCER program are based on the GROW program. The countries piloting Program execution will be Peru, Colombia, and Costa Rica. The project National Drug Strategies and Action Plans is intended to help member states generate national drug strategies and action plans. Whenever states request technical assistance from the Executive Secretariat of CICAD for training and/or guidance in connection with the methodology they should use to develop those strategies and plans, the gender approach must be taken into account, not only in training personnel who will make up the teams implementing those policies but also and above all in determining how to address the needs of specific population profiles. In the specific case of women, programs and activities must be developed to ensure their specific treatment coverage.

The project Closing the Gap, executed since 2014, aims to identify alternatives to incarceration based on a review of the experiences of different countries that will make it possible to identify alternatives to the excessive use of incarceration for drug-related offenses. This is intended to provide states with many possibilities enabling them to move forward toward the design and implementation of feasible and effective policies that are more respectful of human rights. Under this project, efforts are made to document the differentiated impacts on these populations of alternatives to incarceration. One of the clearest impacts is on excluded groups that are subject to discrimination, women being among these, especially those living in a vulnerable economic situation. Although most of those incarcerated for drug-related offenses are men, an increasing number of women are involved in the business and are therefore convicted.

The project Drug Treatment Courts (DTC), under way since 2011, seeks to establish DTCs in the member states as alternatives to incarceration for drug-dependent offenders. In the case of Nuevo León, nearly all those who came before the drug treatment courts were accused of domestic violence, including violence against their partner and violence against their children, parents, siblings, or other family members. In domestic violence matters, this approach reflects at the time the pilot program was implemented legal eligibility for the suspension of trial mechanism. This approach also reflects the cultural attraction-in Mexico-of an innovative new model affording opportunities to support, strengthen, and reintegrate families recently impacted by anti-social behavior. Additionally, the family rehabilitation objective is a distinctive element considered an especially high priority in the model implemented in Nuevo León. In the Dominican Republic, on the other hand, judges setting bail [jueces de garantía], as well as review judges [jueces de control] and enforcement judges [jueces de ejecución de la pena] who have been involved in implementing the drug treatment court model, admit gender violence-related cases. The project is being executed in collaboration with the national drug commissions and ministries of justice and health of the member states.

The aim of the project Health and Life in the Americas (SAVIA), under way since 2011, has sought to strengthen prevention, mitigation, and social integration in the drug area at the local level as a means of supporting drug policy decentralization processes in the Hemisphere. In 2015, efforts continue to promote the development and application of methodologies and tools for better integrated

- 56 - local management of the drug problem, with emphasis on the gender component. At the same time, training workshops were organized on diagnosis, planning, and policy coordination and services at the local level, according priority to gender strategies, for officials of municipalities and other territorial management entities (departmental councils, etc.). In the area of social integration and drugs, the SAVIA program continues to provide support for initiatives to disseminate best practices with a gender component and institutional advances in countries. Participating are national drug commissions, NGOs, universities, and work and community networks on drug dependencies.

b) Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE)

In the cyber security area, since 2015, efforts have been made to promote greater discussion of gender, improve comprehension of the differentiated impact of cyber security and cybercrime- related matters on men and women, and improve access to tools and knowledge of gender and cyber security in the GS/OAS, the member states, and the partners of the Cyber Security Program. Efforts are also being made to obtain data disaggregated by gender in surveys conducted to measure the impact of Program activities and mainstream gender in the development of national cyber security strategies. Progress made includes:

Also of note, in the area of security for major events, the Regional Workshop to Enhance the Capacity of Women Involved in Major Events Security was held in Canada, from March 10 to 12, 2014. Taking part were women from the police forces of 21 member states who, over the course of three days, were able to learn, share and exchange experiences and information, and discuss the principal hurdles in their careers, as well as recommendations to develop greater gender equity in their respective agencies. One of the presentations was made by female officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who gave a full account of Canada’s experience in creating a respectful workplace environment that promotes gender equality along with other operational skills. The CIM participated in the workshop’s opening panel and in practical exercise sessions. It also made a presentation at the inaugural session of the meeting of authorities – focal points of the Hemisphere on major events security. These events were held in conjunction with the United National Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).

Likewise, Courses on Aviation Security were held in such matters as inspection procedures, at which security officials learned how to handle sensitive gender-related matters at inspection checkpoints without compromising security. As concerns mainstreaming of the gender and rights- based perspective, the aviation security program has assured that it is following some of the recommendations made by the CIM.

c) Department of Public Security (DPS)

The Project for Homicide Prevention and Reduction was held between September 2016 and September 2017. It aims to provide tools to enhance the quality, efficiency, and transparency of the campaigns, programs, and projects implemented by OAS member states in the area of homicide prevention and reduction. An expected outcome by project end is to have compiled a database of programs, policies, plans, and projects on homicide prevention and reduction presented and sent to member states for consultation. Other expected outcomes include launching an active and widely- used virtual community of officials and experts in homicide prevention and reduction; a list of lessons learned and good practices in the area of homicide prevention and reduction, subject to

- 57 - ongoing update and use by member states; preparation and presentation of an evaluation on the state of access to information on homicides; elaboration and adoption by member states of recommendations on how to improve access to information on homicides; a directory of information on homicide prevention and reduction that is subject to ongoing update and review; and a systematized bibliography on homicide prevention and reduction literature in a single place that is accessible to and reviewable by member states. Open Society Foundation and the Trust for the Americas are partners in this initiative. The Hemispheric Citizens Security Observatory incorporates information disaggregated by sex in order to have statistics on violence against women, as well as to appropriately respond to the needs of the countries of the region. At least 18 observatory variables are disaggregated by sex. This disaggregation is designed to understand the prevalence of crime and violence against women and reflect the situations of insecurity that women, in particular, experience. The Work Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere 2015-2018 was adopted in December 2014 and implemented through its incorporation in the Inter-American Program for the Prevention of Violence and Crime. It makes efforts to include different guidelines in the upcoming actions of the DSP, including:

- Foster values and practices through educational programs and employment opportunities that encourage coexistence and diversity, whether ethnic, racial, linguistic, cultural, religious, socioeconomic, gender-based, or in terms of sexual orientation, with the aim of combating trafficking in persons.

- Coordinate legislation, policies, and/or programs on promotion of protection of human rights, elimination of poverty—particularly extreme poverty—and marginalization, prevention of violence against women, comprehensive protection of children, education, labor, migration, health, non-discrimination, and economic and social development, in order to prevent trafficking in persons.

- Devise strategies and develop the capacity to respond rapidly to trafficking in persons, principally for women in vulnerable circumstances and for vulnerable, at-risk populations, especially children, adolescents, youth, migrants, indigenous communities, LGBTI persons, and persons with disabilities, among others.

- Promote the creation of suitable emergency, transitional, and long-term housing for victims of trafficking in persons, taking into account gender, age, and other relevant factors, or, as the case may be, expand existing ones.

- Devise policies and programs to protect victims of trafficking in persons, based on respect for human rights and taking into consideration gender, age, health, and other factors, and based on input from survivors of trafficking in persons.

d) Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC)

Though recently created, the DTOC assumed areas that were already operating under other departments, like CICAD, CICTE, and DPS. It, therefore, maintains the policy of identifying specific

- 58 - gender gaps, in the framework of the follow-up on training and technical assistance provided to member states. This entails reserving time on the agenda in each training session for participants to present experiences on policies or measures with a gender approach related to the prevention and/or prosecution of organized crime and any impact they have had. All initiatives strive for equal participation of men and women.

7. Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs (SHA)

The SHA was created by Executive Order 08-01 rev. 9, “Structure of the General Secretariat,” on December 11, 2015. It is composed of the Department of Effective Public Management, formerly under the Secretariat for Political Affairs; the Summits Secretariat, with departmental rank, and the Department of Strategic Initiatives and Public Diplomacy.

The Secretariat for Hemispheric Affairs and the Strategic Council for Organizational Development co-chair the Committee to Analyze Strategic Initiatives, created by Executive Order 16-02, “Strategic Initiatives of the General Secretariat,” adopted on February 9, 2016, by the Secretary General of the OAS. By this Executive Order, the Committee is composed of the Chiefs of Staff of the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General, and all Secretaries. The CIM participates through its Executive Secretary to ensure gender mainstreaming in all initiatives to be analyzed.

The SHA promotes the inclusion of the gender equality and rights perspective in all its activities and programs, particularly through the Committee to Analyze Strategic Initiatives, dialogue mechanism, and cabinet-level analysis.

a) Department of Effective Public Management

The project Promotion of and Access to the Right to Identity in Central America’s Northern Triangle (Guatemala/Honduras/El Salvador), which began in April 2015, aims to: (i) establish civil registry offices at the main border crossing check points in each country and (ii) carry out training campaigns on registration and awareness to promote the registry of births among the border populations affected by underreporting. To date, 266 registration officials (153 women and 113 men) have been trained in 59 municipalities along the border in the three countries. Workshops have also been conducted on promoting registration, providing training to 197 volunteers living in border towns (77 women and 120 men). In El Salvador, support was provided to process the nationalization of 138 people who could obtain Salvadoran citizenship and receive the social benefits of programs for children and the elderly. Registry and identification problems were also resolved for 43 people, for a total of 181 beneficiaries (101 women and 80 men). Partner institutions included the National Registries of Persons in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

The project to Support the Haitian Office of Identification in issuing identification cards to Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, which was launched on July 29, 2016, was devised to create a specialized unit in the National Identification Office of Haiti to provide support in identification processes to citizens living abroad, as well as to conduct an identification campaign for Haitian citizens living in the Dominican Republic. The project is currently developing an awareness and identification campaign that will be implemented in the Dominican Republic in 2017. Part of the campaign design provided for hiring a gender specialist to review the awareness components and the

- 59 - campaign implementation proposal. This will ensure that the differences between men and women are considered, in addition to matters like hours of operation, days on which services are provided, office location, etc. The Haitian National Identification Office and National Archives are partnering in these efforts. OAS Fellowship for Open Government in the Americas (January-December 2016) was designed to create a network of youth leaders in the region to bring together actors from the public sector, civil society, and private sector to generate innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the Hemisphere. It aimed for the equal participation of women throughout the project, such as in the selection boards, experts, and team members. The project was conducted in conjunction with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Avina Foundation, Carter Center, Open Society Foundation, CAF, and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. Round of Analysis for the Inter-American Cooperation Mechanism for Effective Public Management – MECIGEP. The Colombia Round of Analysis focused on the topic: Single Management and Planning Model. It was held August 22-24 in Bogota to create spaces to facilitate internal dialogue, exchange of experiences and technical cooperation strategies to achieve the national objectives and priorities set by each OAS member state. Gender parity was obtained among participants. The Final MECIGEP report is expected to include the gender perspective in its recommendations. Institutional partners included the Colombian Administrative Department of Public Functions, the General Secretariat of the Office of the President of Chile, and the Ecuadoran National Secretariat of Planning and Development.

IV Inter-American Award for Innovation in Effective Public Management (2016) aimed to recognize, incentivize, and promote innovations in public management in the region. The competition is open to all national and local public administrations in the region. There is a board of internationally renowned academic experts that select the winners. The gender perspective has been included as a criterion since 2014 (the II Award). The process has also included the Category for Innovation in the Promotion of Rights and Gender Equality Approach and the Category for Social Inclusion. Additionally, the participation of women on the board of experts has grown. The Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission for Women provided technical assistance to secure the appropriate inclusion of criteria to ensure that the gender equality and rights perspective was effectively incorporated into the award selection process. Other partners included: national public management agencies from 16 OAS member states and the OAS Department of Social Inclusion. Of the 159 candidates, 42 fell under the categories of gender and social inclusion.

Meeting of High Authorities from Civil Service Governing Entities, held September 5, 2016 in Mexico City. The study on “Promoting Civil Servant Integrity in Interactions with Citizens” and the Draft Guidelines on the Management of Integrity Policies in Public Administrations in the Americas were presented. Meeting participants analyzed the integrity guidelines from a gender perspective, with inclusive terms. Gender parity was obtained among participants. This meeting was held in coordination with the Mexican Secretariat of Public Functions and 11 civil service governing agencies from: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.

Since 2007, the OAS Virtual Campus has promoted efficiency and transparency in government management in Latin American countries through capacity building for civil servants and institutions. In 2016, 35 different sessions were held, in which 1,059 students were trained,

- 60 - including civil servants, members of academia, and civil society representatives, in general (515 were women, or 47% of the total).

The Inter-American Network on Government Procurement (RICG), whose Technical Secretariat is the DEPM, promotes greater participation of women in government acquisitions. Five workshops were held in 2016 to train 127 civil servants (65% women) from LAC on the various areas of procurement. It bears noting that the Chair of the RICG for the 2015-2017 period was a woman, the Director of Chilecompra; 50% of the Executive Committee of the RICG are women; and 55% of the network members are also women. Partners in RICG efforts include the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the national offices for government procurement of the OAS member states.

b) Summits Secretariat (SAS)

The SAS promotes and disseminates gender-related initiatives and programs of actors in the Summits process, including CIM initiatives and programs, through the “Summits of the Americas Follow-up System (SISCA),” a mechanism that makes it possible to publish the outcomes and achievements of the CIM to an inter-American and global audience. Also disseminated are the national reports of the member states of the Joint Summit Working Group (JSWG) organizations, in implementation of the Summit mandates on gender. As part of its efforts to promote greater inclusion of women and the gender and women’s rights topic into the meetings and consultations of the Summits Process, the director of the SAS participated in the 37th Assembly of Delegates of the Inter-American Commission for Women in Lima, Peru, May 24-25, 2016, with a presentation focused on the Summits Process of the Americas. The Summits Secretariat hopes to maintain seamless coordination with the CIM throughout the follow-up phase to the Seventh Summit of the Americas to ensure that gender-related commitments are properly addressed and implemented. And as relates to the Eighth Summit of the Americas, it hopes to bolster actions to promote the gender perspective in Summit discussions. The SAS is also engaged in ongoing efforts to ensure equal participation by men and women in each of the Summit events and activities with the social actors. This applies to the selection of funded participants and to event speakers and moderators.

c) Department of Strategic Initiatives and Public Diplomacy

Although the Art Museum of the Americas has no defined strategy for mainstreaming gender and rights, it works on an ongoing basis to emphasize in its programs the work of women artists, curators, and academics. To the extent possible, it seeks equitable representation of male and female artists, curators, and academics and to explore gender-related matters in its exhibitions. Its advisory committee is composed primarily of women professionals – five of its seven members. The curator of the exhibition Streams of Being, now on display at the Museum, is a woman, and this year, the work of 15 women was on display in three exhibitions.

8. Secretariat for Administration and Finance

a) Department of Human Resources (DHR)

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The DHR reported that it continued its efforts to strike a gender balance through the following activities:

- Providing the GS/OAS with information on the current geographic and gender distribution of staff in the Organization’s Quarterly Resource Management and Performance Report and in the staff list of the Organization. - Providing the areas with a report on gender representation by area as a factor to be considered in the recruitment, selection, and appointment process. - Distribution of a report to directors, as part of the internship program, in which an account is given of the current geographic and gender representation in their areas, with a view to issuing recommendations on the nationality and gender of future interns. - Since 2016, job announcements have included the following note: “The OAS is committed to achieving a diverse staff and therefore will take into account a wide geographic representation as well as gender equity and equality in the selection of candidates.”

The DHR actively participates in the Commission to implement the Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Human Rights, and Diversity.

In 2016, the DHR continued reporting half-yearly data on gender and geographic representation in the GS/OAS in the Quarterly Resource Management and Performance Report. These reports include GS/OAS gender distribution figures, at the general level and by grade. Additionally, in the quarterly reports distributed to the member states, the DHR includes, among other information, the gender of the candidates applying for published positions filled by competition, promoting the principle of transparency in the implementation of those competitions.

The DHR has access to GS/OAS personnel data—specifically through the OASES Human Resource Module—enabling it to compile statistics on gender and geographic representation. Since October 2012, it has had an electronic tool (Organizational Personnel Database, OPDB), which facilitates access to data on the make-up of General Secretariat personnel for member states and their officials. As concerns the distribution of positions within the OAS/GS,3/as may be seen in the following charts, even though the number of women in the GS/OAS exceeds that of men by 28,6% (56,3% of the staff are women), there continues to be a wide gender gap in that more men than women are in executive positions.

3 OAS Semiannual Resource Management and Performance Report from January 1 to December 31, 2016.

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As of December 31, 2016, approximately 34.4% of the men working in the GS/OAS occupied posts at the P-4 level or above (three and a half percentage point more than in 2015, equivalent to 31%), compared to 15.4% of the women. At the D-2 level, there were no women (with one exception).

Regarding the figures reported the preceding year as of December 31, 2016, it is evident that P-5 and P-4 level posts continue to be occupied predominantly by men. In 2015, 71 men occupied posts at those levels (P4 and above); whereas only 50 women occupied such posts.

Also evident is the fact that women occupy 72.1% (compared to 72.26% in 2015 and 70% in 2014) of the GS/OAS general services posts (grades G-7 to G-1). The second widest gender gap is at the G-6 level, where women occupy 84.7% (similar figure of 2015) of the posts in that level.

These graphs above do not include performance contract (CPR) personnel, who, as of December 2016, were 309 persons (male: 44.3%, female: 55.7%) (Regular Fund: 81 and Specific Fund: 228).

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b) Department of Information and Technology Services

The innovative tool for following up on GS/OAS mandates and goals based on indicators showing the level of gender mainstreaming therein, as well as the resources allocated for those mandates and goals, prepared in 2014 jointly by the DOITS with the Department of Planning and Evaluation and the Inter-American Commission of Women, is available for use by GS/OAS staff members.

B. AUTONOMOUS AND DECENTRALIZED ORGANS, AGENCIES, AND ENTITIES

1. Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

The IACHR, through its Rapporteurship on the Rights of Women, carried out a number of activities during the period. That Rapporteurship was headed by Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay. In 2016, the Rapporteurship also worked to disseminate two thematic reports – one on legal standards on women’s rights and another on complete, accessible, reliable, and timely access to the state information on violence and discrimination. The Rapporteurship was also working on a report on the situation of indigenous women in the region. This was made possible in the framework of a project with Denmark, which began in January 2013 and culminated in December 2016.

The analysis contained in the IACHR regional report on indigenous women takes as its starting point the views and experience of indigenous women; the inter-American and international precedents on the rights of indigenous peoples and women; matters requiring priority attention; and matters that need to be addressed in greater depth in the three target countries and in the Americas. It will also include recommendations to the States on how best to meet the international standards in this area.

The report on Access to Information, Violence against Women, and the Administration of Justice identifies obstacles in this area, best practices, and a set of recommendations to the States on how best to meet the existing human rights standards on access to information. It focuses primarily on justice administration and related areas, such as legislation, public policies, and services.

The updated report Legal Standards Related to Gender Equality and Women's Rights in the Inter-American Human Rights System: Development and Application summarizes and examines the legal standards of the inter-American system on gender equality and women’s rights, as well as the impact of the recommendations and decisions of the inter-American system on judicial decisions issued at the national level in the region.

The report Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in British Columbia, Canada analyzes the problem of disappearances and murders of indigenous women in recent years and the response of the State of Canada to this situation. The report includes a set of recommendations on how to strengthen State actions to protect and guarantee the rights of indigenous women.

Activities carried out in 2016 in the context of these initiatives include:

- 64 - a) On April 5, 2016, the Report on Legal Standards: Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in the Inter-American System of Human Rights: Development and Application Updates from 2011- 2014 was presented in Washington, D.C. b) The Rapporteur conducted a promotional visit to Brazil September 27-October 1 to carry out a detailed study of the human rights situation of women of African descent. This visit was possible thanks to the support of the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights, and the Coordination of Black Women in Brazil. c) November 2-4, the Rapporteur conducted an academic visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina at the invitation of Santiago A. Cantón, Secretary of Human Rights of the government of the Province of Buenos Aires. The Rapporteur met with several government authorities working on policies related to gender and women’s rights and those involved in the design of a provincial gender plan. The Rapporteur also gave a presentation on the inter-American standards related to women’s rights. d) The Rapporteurship on Women’s Rights collaborated in researching and drafting a press release issued by the IACHR to commemorate the International Day of Women. On March 8, 2016, the Commission urged the states in the Americas to create conditions to favor the exercise of women’s rights. e) On March 21, 2016, the IACHR published a press release urging states to adopt measures to protect the rights of Afro-descendent women, in commemoration of the International Day on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The IACHR urged states to adopt affirmative action measures and comprehensive state policies to eradicate structural racial discrimination. In 2016, the Rapporteurship on the Rights of LGBTI Persons, headed by Commissioner Francisco Eguiguren Praeli, endeavored to disseminate the thematic report on violence against LGBTI persons in the Americas. The Governments of the United States and the Netherlands have supported the efforts of this Rapporteurship since 2015. The project with the Netherlands culminated in July 2016 and the one with the United States in October 2016. Throughout 2016, the Rapporteurship furthered its mandated and specifically worked to disseminate the report on violence against LGBTI persons in the Americas. This report focuses on the violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) persons or those perceived as such, or persons with non-normative sexual orientation or gender identities and expressions or whose bodies differ from the socially-accepted standard of a masculine or feminine body. Several countries in the region have reported significant headway in recognizing the rights of LGBTI persons; however, there continue to be high levels of violence in all countries in the region, manifested as a multi-faceted, complex, social phenomenon, not as isolated events or individual acts. The report offers more than 100 recommendations to states to address and resolve this serious problem. These target states in general, as well as the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The report was available in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, in digital and print format. The Rapporteurship’s activities in 2016 included the following:

₋ On January 27, 2016, the President of the Commission, James Cavallaro; former Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Emilio Alvarez Icaza; Advisor to the OAS Secretary General for Access to Rights and Equity, Ideli Salvatti; and the lawyer for the Rapporteurship sat on a discussion panel with a member of the Coalition of LGBTTTI Organizations working in the framework of the OAS, as well as several trans human rights defenders who are members of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Transgender Persons (REDLACTRANS). This panel was held in the context of the launch of the REDLACTRANS report on the

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human rights violations of trans women in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. ₋ On February 11, 2016, former Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Emilio Alvarez Icaza, gave a presentation to the OAS Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (CAJP) on the work of the IACHR on sexual orientation, gender identity, and the rights of LGBTI persons, in keeping with General Assembly resolution AG/RES. 2863 (XLIV-O/14), Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity and Expression. ₋ On March 31, 2016, the lawyer for the Rapporteurship sat on a panel on the topic of “New Frontiers in LGBTI Rights,” organized by the American Society of International Law, as part of its 110th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. ₋ On April 1, 2016, the support team for the LGBTI Rapporteurship and the IACHR Department of Promotion and Public Policy organized a round table for IACHR staff to discuss the investigation presented in a documentary on the human rights situations of LGBTI persons in Southeast Asia, entitled “Not Only Voices: LGBTI Persons in Southeast Asia.” The film was made by a former fellow of the LGBTI Rapporteurship. ₋ On April 5, 2016, Commissioner Francisco Eguiguren, Rapporteur on the Rights of LGBTI Persons, presented the main findings and recommendations of the Report on Violence against LGBTI Persons in the Americas during the 157th Session of the IACHR. Three other IACHR thematic reports approved in 2015 were also presented. ₋ On June 14, 2016, Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Emilio Alvarez Icaza, presented the Report on Violence against LGBTI Persons in the Americas at a panel in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in coordination with the Institute of Race, Equality, and Human Rights. The President of the IACHR, Commissioner James Cavallaro, and Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Edison Lanza, were also in attendance. Co-panelists included members of civil society organizations from the region, including Christian King and Alejandra Sardá. Carlos Quesada, Director of the Institute of Race, Equality, and Human Rights moderated. ₋ On July 11, 2016, the Rapporteur on the Rights of LGBTI Persons participated in the “Seminar on Equality and Non-Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity for Latin American and Caribbean Parliamentarians,” organized by the organization Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The seminar was held in the Uruguayan parliament on July 11, 2016, during which the Parliamentary Handbook on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity – prepared by the PGA and UNDP – was launched. The handbook provides key information on human rights and specific actions to raise awareness, study, and reform the legal framework, in light of the needs of LGBTI persons. ₋ Between July 13 and 15, 2016 the Rapporteur on the Rights of LGBTI Persons and the Rapporteurship’s fellow participated in the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference “Non- violence, Non-discrimination, and Social Inclusion.” The event was co-chaired by the Governments of Uruguay and the Kingdom of the Netherlands and held in Montevideo July 13-15, 2016. The Rapporteur was the keynote panelist during one of the opening sessions. The LGBTI Rapporteurship also participated in a Working Group on Regional and International Diplomacy. ₋ On July 20, 2016, the specialist and LGBTI Rapporteurship fellow gave a presentation on terminology relating to sexual orientation and, gender identity and expression, as well as the human rights situation of LGBTI persons to state officials from the various branches of

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government in 10 OAS member states. The event took place as part of the Course on the Inter-American Human Rights Protection System, jointly organized with the IACHR, American University – Washington College of Law, the Inter-American Human Rights Institute, and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. ₋ Between October 31 and November 5, 2016, the Commissioner and Rapporteur on the Rights of LGBTI Persons, along with the Rapporteurship fellow, conducted a promotional visit to Brazil, at the invitation of the Institute of Race, Equality, and Human Rights. They visited the cities of Brasilia, Salvador de Bahía, and Belo Horizonte. The Rapporteur launched the report “Violence against LGBTI Persons” in Portuguese. Several meetings were held with federal and state agencies who work on LGBTI rights, as well as meetings and panels with CSOs to receive reports of the issues that LGBTI persons face in Brazil. The fellow to the Rapporteurship gave a training workshop on the inter-American human rights system to civil society activists in Belo Horizonte focusing on the rights of LGBTI persons.

The IACHR firmly believes in the importance of its collaboration with the Inter-American Commission of Women to carry out activities, particularly in the framework of the Rapporteurships on the Rights of Women and LGBTI Persons.

2. General Directorate the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN)

The Action Plan 2015-2019 of the IIN includes promoting the gender approach as one of its approaches for action. The child rights perspective and the gender approach are inseparable from the consolidation and strengthening of democracy, not only as a form of government, but as a lifestyle that is respectful of the dignity of all, regardless of differences. Even before children are born, expectations are associated with their gender roles and upon their birth are settled, and they are received by a group of people organized according to these roles. A critical review of these models and involving men in the responsibilities of childcare and parenting are essential elements in child protection policies from a rights-based perspective.

With regard to the Inter-American Cooperation Program for the Prevention and Eradication of Child Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Illegal Trafficking, for the different manifestations of sexual violence, the gender approach is essential at every stage of intervention. Destructuring gender models and attention to the needs and different modalities in which boys and girls are affected by violence should be a central element of the strategies to be developed. To that end, the IIN will accord special importance to the identification and analysis of experiences that take account of the gender perspective and will include the gender lens in every action. It is also hoped to work with the gender perspective in work done with adolescents in the actions included in the line on juvenile criminal liability, throughout the criminal intervention process, and in the enforcement of non- custodial penalties.

The “Guidelines on Empowerment and Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents on the Internet in Central America and the Dominican Republic” are a 15-month project launched in October 2016. They were designed to build the capacities of the authorities charged with protecting children and adolescents in these countries, by providing digital inclusion tools that protect their rights in the use of ICTs. The content of the final version of the guidelines will address the specific needs and characteristics of children and adolescents and the differentiated impact for all identified practices; it will also include specific recommendations on how to protect girls. Partners in this

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initiative include: Costa Rican Patronato Nacional de Infancia (National Child Welfare Agency), Salvadoran Institute for the Comprehensive Development of Children and Adolescents (ISNA), Secretariat of Social Welfare of the Office of the President of Guatemala; the Honduran Department for Children, Adolescents, and Family; Nicaraguan Ministry of Family, Adolescents, and Children; Panamanian National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents, and Family (SENNIAF); and National Council for Children and Adolescents of the Dominican Republic. The GS/OAS, through the OAS Department of Social Inclusion, IACHR, CITEL, and CICTE, is also collaborating.

3. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

Since 2005, PAHO has had a Gender Equality Policy in place whose objective is to help achieve gender equality in health status and health development through research, policies, and programs that give due attention to gender differences in health and their determinants, and actively promote equality between men and women. The special actors of gender equality policies in health status are the member states through their ministries of health, women’s machineries, offices of social security, civil society, national statistical offices, universities, subregional governmental integration agencies, and the United Nations. PAHO has adopted a new Strategic Plan 2014–2019, which embraces gender equality as a priority (crosscutting) theme for the Secretariat and the member states. Other crosscutting themes— human rights, equity, and ethnicity—were also adopted and have been incorporated into the Organization’s overall planning process. Plans also exist to introduce new mechanisms to strengthen monitoring of the incorporation of health issues. The following activities of note were carried out under the Gender Equality Policy:

Ten years since the adoption of PAHO’s Gender Equality Policy, in 2005, the evaluation report on the Plan of Action for Implementing the Gender Equality Policy 2009-2014 summarizes and analyzes its achievements. This information is based on the analysis of the 32 national reports received from the member states in October and November 2014 in reply to self-administered questionnaires, as well as technical and corporate information compiled by the Secretariat. The evaluation report was adopted at the 54th Meeting of the Directing Council of PAHO, in October 2015. A video and infographic are being prepared on the results (in English and Spanish) as support for broad dissemination of the achievements and for the dissemination/presentation of new lines of action.

The conclusions of the evaluation suggest that cautious optimism is warranted in connection with the progress reported by the member states. Progress has been made in generating disaggregated data; training for health care personnel; and gender mainstreaming in numerous health programs and in intersector work, etc. However, progress has not been uniform, and budgetary allocations are limited and fluctuating.

The new lines of action for continued implementation of the policy are:

₋ Self-taught Gender and Health Virtual Course (4 hours), final stages translated into Spanish for broad dissemination. ₋ Approval of concept paper and resolution on migrant health (CD55.13), with a broad definition of migrant persons/population.

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₋ Close collaboration with countries on universal health and gender, on matters like funding for health, mental health, measuring equality, etc. ₋ Organization of a regional webinar on masculinity and suicide among men. In English and Spanish, as part of the World Mental Health Day. ₋ Co-organization of an inter-agency panel for the XIII Regional Conference on Women and a presentation on gender and social protection in health. ₋ Reproduction, dissemination, and showing of the video: Gender Inequalities in Health in the Americas. ₋ Preparation of the seventh statistical brochure on Gender, Health, and Development in the Americas, 2016 (publication in March 2017). ₋ Proposed gender and health indicators developed as part of the SDGs (validation pending). Proposal presented at the Global Forum on Gender Statistics in Finland. ₋ Presentation on gender and health indicators and the XVII International Meeting on Gender Statistics, organized by INMujeres, ECLAC, INEGI, and UN Women in Mexico. ₋ Agreement signed with University College of London to create a Commission on Inequality in Health, chaired by Professor Michael Marmot, to review equality in health (to include a gender component) in 15 countries of the Americas. ₋ Conceptual framework defined to review the health and barriers to access to health for the LGBT population (results presented in 2017). ₋ Gender and health components integrated into the training curriculum for healthcare providers for adolescents at the University of the West Indies (UWI). ₋ International Women’s Day observed, information disseminated on progress made on gender and health in the countries (brochures, slides, press release, etc.). Efforts carried out in collaboration with the ministries of health, national machineries for the advancement of women, offices of social securities, civil society, national statistical offices, United Nations, and internal PAHO staff.

4. Secretariat of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL)

CITEL has made great strides with regard to gender. Its Permanent Executive Committee, pursuant to resolution 160 (XIII-03) and resolution 194 (XIX-11), “Promotion of Gender Equality” and “Gender Issue in the Americas Region,” respectively, decided to establish the “Program for the Inclusion of Women and Girls in ICT” and instructed the Secretariat of CITEL to report on this mandate to international organizations and to organizations and entities specialized in the area, for linkage of this proposal with current and emerging issues in the gender perspective area. The collaboration established between CITEL and the CIM in 2011 has since grown stronger.

The “Strategic Plan of CITEL for 2014–2018” [CITEL RES. 70 (VI-14)] is aimed at reducing the digital divide and inequality, particularly for people in underserved areas, including women and persons with disabilities. Under the “Work Plan of the PCC.I for 2014–2018” [CCP.I/RES. 227 (XXIV-14)], activities are carried out though the Rapporteurship on Broadband for universal access and social inclusion, to assess the needs of social groups with specific problems linked to ICT access, use, and appropriation, thereby promoting their social inclusion.

The two-year project on the Collaboration Request between CITEL and the Inter-American Commission of Women to Address Issues Related to the Benefit of the Use of ICT´s as Tools for the Empowerment of Women, in implementation of resolution PCC.I/RES. 243 (XXVII-15), adopted by

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PCC.I at its XXVI Meeting, held in Cusco, Peru, May 26 to 29, 2015, and resolution PCC.I/RES. 258 (XXVII-15),containing the 2016-2018 Roadmap for the Development of Projects, and Human and Financial Resources to Promote Women’s Access, Use, and Leadership in ICT Development. The aim of the project is to identify, seek, and promote the use of ICTs as tools for women’s empowerment, especially for preventing and ending violence against them, specifically through applied research, experience-sharing, the identification of best practices, the holding of seminars and workshops, the development of work programs, policies, online courses, and content and applications (apps), and the generation of gender indicators.

Call for Awards and Award Rules "ICTs to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women” (PCC.I/RES. 259 (XXVII-15) (March to September 2016, held annually), to recognize the best contributions and examples of leadership with respect to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support the prevention and eradication of violence against women. Three experiences in the region were awarded: Brazil (mobile application to Protect Women Against Violence), Colombia (mobile application Ellas Libres de Violencias, from the National Network of Women), and Mexico (Ecos de Mirabal). This was carried out in partnership with the CIM and with member state participation. Participation in the ITU Women in Standardization Expert Group (WISE) in 2016 to foster the engagement of women in standardization work, telecommunications/ICTs, and other related fields. WISE also aimed to recognize the work of men and women who have made considerable contributions to promoting the work of women in these spheres. Preparation for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) (2014- 2017) to evaluate ITU work on the gender perspective. Preparation for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (2014-2018) to evaluate ITU work on using ICTs to mainstream the gender perspective and women’s empowerment. Participation in the ITU-United Nations Award on Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-TECH), October 2016, to recognize exceptional, personal, or institutional achievements and innovative strategies to empower women through ICTs. Participation in the initiative Equals: The Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age (ITU and UN Women), October 2016. This is a coalition of programs for women and girls in technology, which aims to harness the power of ICTs to expedite global advances to close the gender digital gap. The Global Partnership focuses specifically on three areas of action: ACCESS: Achieve equal access to digital technologies; SKILLS: Empower women and girls with skills to become ICT creators; and LEADERS: Promote women as ICT leaders and entrepreneurs.

5. Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)

IICA formally established its Institutional Gender Policy in November 2016. The following are among the projects IICA implements to promote gender equality and rights:

The flagship project: Inclusion in Agriculture and Rural Territories (2014-2018) seeks to promote the participatory design and management of public policies, the inclusive revitalization of territorial economies, and empowerment of social stakeholders to achieve equity in agriculture and rural territories, with an emphasis on vulnerable family-agriculture groups. The project is carried out in partnership with the ministries of agriculture and rural development of the 10 participating

- 70 - countries, local governments of the selected territories, groups selected from among excluded populations, other institutions, and local organizations. Some of the results include: - Institution building for 147 institutions of national and sub-national governments linked to the various areas of government work for the participatory design, implementation, and management of institutional frameworks, policies, and instruments to promote inclusive territorial development in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, and Suriname. Participants included 562 technicians in 77 national events and 62 territorial events. - 8 events on territorial coordination, dialogue, and consensus, in which 68 government agencies, 19 NGOs, and 104 family-agriculture organizations participated from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. These events aimed to enhance organization, planning, social management, collective action, and advocacy capacities, through capacity building, exchange of experiences and practices, territorialization of policies, creation of territorial plans and participatory management tools, and implementation of productive economic policies that expand inclusion opportunities for excluded groups. - Official public policy documents drafted on territorial development and inclusion in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico. Input for developing policies in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. - At least 96 economic projects and business plans developed based on the methodologies of Territorial Development, Link/CIAT, and CANVAS in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Suriname, to support the ventures and productive demands of more than 1,400 excluded family farmers (women, youth, indigenous populations, Afro- descendants, and men). The projects and plans focus on diverse areas of interest, in order to improve the availability of food, access to markets, and income generation. - More than 98 family agriculture economic organizations (cooperatives, associations, informal groups, youth and women networks, federations, credit unions, etc.) in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, and Suriname receive support to build the organizational and leadership capacities of more than 760 leaders in matters related to economic organization, production certification, management of rural credit unions, processing, marketing, tourism, etc. - More than 1,500 people (40% women and 27% youth) belonging to excluded groups in the territories selected in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, and Suriname, received capacity building on matters relating to empowerment. Training was provided on topics such as boosting self-esteem, leadership, assertiveness, conflict management, association, and advocacy. - Approximately 1,450 families increased their engagement in decision making coordination and consensus bodies for territorial development through the development of affirmative actions and good practices on inclusion, such as developing inclusive standards on the participation of vulnerable groups; the creation and strengthening of networks, associations, and cooperatives for excluded groups (women, youth, family farmers and craftsmen and women, persons with disabilities, indigenous persons, Afro-descendants, and the elderly); support for developing business plans and venture implementation for income generation and food security, among others.

Euroclima Project (2014-2017) seeks to assist in the implementation of the EUROCLIMA initiative – Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security, and Climate Change in Latin America: Capacity building of key actors to adapt the agriculture sector to climate change and mitigate its effects. Carried out with the support of the European Union. Results include:

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- Capacity building on project-relevant topics (lowering vulnerability to drought, change in land use, adaptation to climate change, water footprint, financing, gender, etc.) for technicians in ministries of agriculture and environment, academia, and the private sector working on agricultural matters. In total, the workshops, forums, courses, and field visits trained 3,217 participants in 17 countries, of which 43% were women. - Member states have access to 14 new publications, including “A Day on the Farm: Rural Women and Their Role in Food Security.”

Regional Program for Research and Innovation by Agricultural Value Chains (PRIICA) (2010-2017) was designed to implement PRIICA. The Estrategia de abordaje del Enfoque de Género en Consorcios Nacionales de Innovación del PRIICA [Strategy to Address the Gender Approach in National Innovation Consortia of the PRIICA] is currently in its implementation phase. Program partners include the European Union – Technical Group on Innovation and Technology, PRESANCA, INCap, national consortia for innovation (NGOs, universities, etc.).

6. Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH)

The General Secretariat of the PAIGH indicated that it has affirmative actions designed to include the gender perspective as a key pillar. It submits evidence of the active participation of women on the institute, with women serving as chiefs of departments and holding the highest commission posts (cultural history, geography, education, geophysics, applied geophysics, and interdisciplinary studies). The Thematic Cartography Committee, the Aeronautical Charts Working Group, the Global Map of the Americas Working Group, and the Tactile Cartography Working Group for persons with visual disability, working under the Cartography Commission, are all chaired by women. Additionally, the following member states have appointed women to chair their respective national PAIGH sections: Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and United States. In terms of the technical assistance projects implemented during the period, 55% were coordinated by women; the Geography Commission has the largest makeup of women.

7. OAS Retirement and Pension Fund

The Fund indicated that it did not have a formal strategy or projects that included a gender perspective, but that this perspective is taken into account in its services to participants and retirees.

8. Trust for the Americas

The Trust for the Americas, an entity affiliated with the OAS, indicates that it promotes parity participation by men and women in the activities of its projects, as well as participation by women’s organizations in the initiatives it implements, mainstreaming gender as a crosscutting theme therein. For example, in the Partnership in Opportunities for Employment through Technology Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. The program has trained 12,639 people, 60% of which were women. This effort is in partnership with Microsoft and NGOs in the countries mentioned.

Between August 2016 and August 2017, the project VIVE-Ven Inspírate y Vende [LIVE- Come, Get Inspired, and Sell] was carried out to provide training in sales, marketing, customer service, and life skills. The project was designed primarily for young at-risk women to help them

- 72 - obtain employment. To date, 283 have completed the training and another 1,000 are currently participating in the training.

9. Secretariat of the Administrative Tribunal The Administrative Tribunal is mandated to resolve disputes of a labor nature between the General Secretariat of the OAS and its officials, and in this context, cases are received from both male and female officials. Its Secretariat expressed that here is no concrete strategy for integrating a gender equality perspective, but there are guarantees that each case will be handled and decided with the same adherence to the applicable normative frameworks and with the same impartiality, fairness and efficiency, regardless of gender. In February 2017 a study was conducted which revealed that of the 289 individual cases, 184 were interposed by men and 105 by women, representing 64% and 36% of participation, respectively. In terms of the composition of this autonomous body, 89% of its members have been men and only 11% women.

10. Permanent Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM)

The CIM is responsible for supervising, coordinating, and assessing compliance with the IAP in coordination with the national machinery for the advancement of women in the member states. The Commission is also charged with providing technical assistance and advice to all departments and other bodies that make up the GS/OAS in their efforts to promote gender equality and a rights-based approach in their policies, projects, and programs, as well as in their daily tasks. A large part of the efforts described in this report that are carried out through the GS/OAS departments and organs have received and continue to receive technical assistance and advice from the CIM in their different phases.

During the period covered by the report, the CIM has continued to work on its program areas: (i) substantive women’s citizenship policy for democracy and governance; (ii) women’s human rights and gender-based violence; (iii) security and economic citizenship; and (iv) citizen security from a gender perspective. The CIM has likewise strengthened its efforts with regard to institutionalizing a rights- and gender equality-based approach at the OAS, including the formulation of the Institutional Policy on Gender Equity and Equality, Diversity and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS, adopted on March 7, 2016, by the Secretary General. Additionally, the GS/OAS conducted the Participatory Audit on Gender, Rights, and Diversity, with the participation of all OAS staff and specialized organs of the inter-American system. The details of these activities are available in the Annual Report of the CIM, CIM/doc.135/17.

As for the activities undertaken in the framework of the Mechanism to Follow up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women, “Convention of Belém do Pará” (MESECVI), for which the CIM serves as Technical Secretariat, the details thereof may be found in document CIM/doc.134/17.

The CIM is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the preparation of this report using information provided by each of the departments and bodies of the OAS, as well as its autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, as key inputs.

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C. NATIONAL OFFICES Presented below is information provided by the National Offices that replied to the questionnaire on activities, projects, and programs through which they promote gender equality and a women’s rights approach (Annex 2). In general, reference is made to efforts organized by different technical areas of the GS/OAS for which the Offices provide technical support and in which the Representative of the National Office may participate in some cases. a) Belize The office noted the Social Protection Project for Belize. Launched in January 2016, the project aims to provide comprehensive support to existing social programs in Belize. As part of the project, social workers and social development program stakeholders have received specialized training on social development programs targeting poor and vulnerable families, including women and children. b) Costa Rica The office provides support for the Inter-American Program of Judicial Facilitators (IAJF), which was implemented 2013-2016 to guarantee access to justice for the communities of the facilitators, promote a culture of peace, and strengthen prevention and alternate conflict resolution mechanisms to maintain peaceful co-existence. The program obtained the appointment of 462 judicial facilitators, including 253 women. Costa Rica was one of the only countries to surpass the 40% goal of women appointed to the program. The IAJF has received the collaboration of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. c) Ecuador The office pointed to its work to promote a gender approach in the use of social media, which it uses to publish relevant information. d) Guatemala The Office reports that it is promoting different GS/OAS activities domestically (programs and projects) in Guatemala, as well as awareness and understanding of the main concepts and categories of gender theory for use and inclusion as a permanent crosscutting theme. It further reports on its activities in the framework of the IPJF and the G-13 Group.

In the context of the Inter-American Program of Judicial Facilitators (2010–2016), implemented in collaboration with the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala, it points to the National Judicial Facilitators Service, which promotes access to justice, a culture of peace, and strengthening of dispute prevention and alternative dispute resolution methods. It now has 1,050 facilitators, 40% of whom are women, in 16 of the country’s 22 departments. The Office also discusses its active participation in the G-13 Group (2008-2017), composed, at the political level, of ambassadors and representatives of member organizations; at the technical level by the heads of cooperation entities of the members of the G-13; and, at the operational level, by the members of the G-13 interested in participating in the forum. Membership is open to representatives of other countries or international organizations not members of the G-13, if necessary. However, these meetings are not open to representatives of nongovernmental organizations or government representatives; these representatives may participate in specific

- 74 - meetings as special guests. The G-13 aims to achieve a forum for dialogue for exchange, analysis, reflection, and advice to the Group of Donors (G-13) on matters related to international cooperation and the Gender Working Group, and to collaborate in the country’s development. These efforts help generate coordination, harmonization, and partnerships among cooperation actions in a specific area, to improve and define intervention mechanisms and strategies in that area, disseminate information, documentation, and actions related to the Group’s area, help promote and protect individual and collective human rights, especially those directly or indirectly related to the subject area of the group, and identify and advise the Group of Donors and the GCC on technical assistance to government institutions, civil society organizations, and other actors. The members of the G-13 are: Germany, Canada, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, IDB, World Bank, IMF, the United Nations system, the European Union, and the OAS. e) Haiti The office reports that the project “Operational support to the Haitian National Identification Office (ONI) to Screen, Identify and Assist Undocumented Migrants in the Dominican Republic” has been in effect since August 15, 2016. The project aims to support national institutions in identifying and documenting Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, in partnership with the UNCHR and IOM. f) Jamaica The national office indicated that it is committed to promoting gender equality and a rights perspective in its activities. The Peckham Bamboo Pre-Processing Project, currently being implemented in Jamaica with OAS Development Cooperation Fund financing, is an example of a project that promotes gender inclusion for the rural women who benefit from project trainings. The office noted that the projects Peckham Bamboo Pre-Processing Project and New Path include a gender approach in its activities. The rural women of Clarendon benefited from the training activities carried out by Peckham Bamboo, while girls in Kingston participated in a five-day business training program at the University of the West Indies. During the April 2016 celebrations of Pan American Day, organized by the GS/OAS Office in Jamaica, young Jamaican women learned more about opportunities offered by the OAS, its member states, and other organizations of the inter- American system that participated in the celebrations.

g) Mexico The GS/OAS Office in Mexico underscored the participation of its representative in events that include gender and non-discrimination, with a view to supporting the various governmental and non-governmental organization initiatives on the subject. The office also provides logistical and administrative support, as well as advisory services to Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) authorities in the various activities and work it carries out in Mexico. h) Nicaragua The Office refers to its support for two programs coordinated from headquarters, in the framework of which gender equality and women’s human rights are promoted. One is the Program of Assistance for the Control of Arms and Munitions, in Central America, of the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, under which assistance is provided for the destruction of arms and

- 75 - ammunition in Central America. The other is the IPJF, under the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity, through which active participation by women and men has been achieved in urban and rural areas in protecting their rights, democracy, gender equality, and community security, and in which have participated justice administrators, the Supreme Court, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of that country. i) Paraguay The Office indicates that it participates in and supports gender-related events through the Ministry of Women, UN Women, and other bodies, as well as activities of the CIM, including the International Cooperation Sector Forum on Gender. For example, it mentions support for and participation in activities in the framework of the methodological transfer on “Participatory Gender Assessment,” carried out by the CIM from October 13 to 16, 2015, in the Ministry of Women of the Republic of Paraguay, together with three other sectors, to help build capacity for mainstreaming a gender and rights-based perspective in public policy. The Office also refers to the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM/OAS) for the municipal elections of November 15, 2015, during which the Mission noted with concern the low level of participation by women in those elections, and whose preliminary report indicates that only 10.3% of candidates for mayor and 36.8% of candidates for municipal councils were women, a situation that may be attributed primarily to the 20% quota that applies only to internal party election slates. To achieve greater access by women to elected office, the Mission recommended applying progressively higher quotas to the candidacies for public office until parity is reached, including rotation by gender and sanctions to prohibit inclusion on the lists for those not complying with this measure. The Supreme Court of Electoral Justice took part. The office also mentioned the Projection and Consolidation of the Paraguayan Experience with Judicial Facilitators. This 15-month project begun August 2015 aims to contribute to democratic governance, defense of human rights, and conflict reduction, by bolstering and expanding the NSJF in Paraguay. Access to justice has been enhanced for vulnerable populations through assistance in 15 departments and the densification of coverage in two departments in Paraguay. This has become an international benchmark for good practices in access to justice, particularly in border regions, through exchange, training, and assistance. The effort involves the Supreme Court of Justice of Paraguay, provincial higher courts of justice in Argentina, the judiciary of Bolivia, the University of Cuenca del Plata, in Argentina, and the Catholic University of Our Lady of the Assumption, in Paraguay.

j) Peru The Office indicates that it promotes gender equality and women’s rights in OAS activities carried out in that country, whether as workshops, conferences, seminars, or meetings. k) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The office maintained that, although it still does not have the support of a representative, it seeks to promote the gender and rights perspective where possible. It stated that the human resources are limited for this task. l) Suriname The office reported having adopted a gender equality and rights perspective in the activities carried out in the country. Efforts include participation in activities to support gender equality and

- 76 - women and girls’ empowerment, from the education system to the justice sector. It has also indicated that, as the economic recession has worsened, it has endeavored to understand the trends and mechanisms to control violence against women, in collaboration with government agencies and civil society organizations, and often with the support of the UNCT. There are currently no projects or programs underway, although there are efforts to partner with others to carry out initiatives to support women. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has requested OAS support to enhance gender awareness, particularly as regards violence against women, through its Office on Gender and its department for faith-based community dissemination. The office has indicated that it has the technical capacity to mainstream a gender equality and women’s rights perspective, but that it does not have the resources or staff and, thus, has limited capacity to implement these strategies. The OAS office in Suriname seeks to build this capacity by assigning an intern to gender-issues to support these activities. m) Venezuela The office noted its participation in gender-related events, specifically those associated with the Convention of Belem do Pará, including seminars. In 2016, it sent the office representative to participate as a speaker in the forum to celebrate the “70th Anniversary of the Political Rights of Women in Venezuela.” The remarks recounted and interpreted the contribution of the inter-American system in matters related to the background, formulation of policies, and treaties on the topic. This event was held at the Academy of Political and Social Sciences in Venezuela on March 16, 2016. The national office maintains close contact with several organizations dedicated to gender issues, such as the Latin American Federation of Women Lawyers in Caracas and others working in the area.

IV. CONCLUSIONS As in the previous period, this report reflects the ongoing commitment and specific actions of the bodies making up the OAS General Secretariat and the various autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities to mainstream gender and women’s human rights in their policies, programs and projects, in keeping with the Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality (IAP or Inter-American Program). Of fundamental note is the adoption of the Institutional Policy on Gender Equity and Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS (Executive Order No. 16-03, of March 7, 2016). This policy is expected to contribute to the institutionalization of the gender equality, rights, and diversity approach in all work of the OAS, and in its culture and organizational structure, and, especially, to contribute to a process of accountability in these efforts. This Policy will be implemented by means of a plan of action that is being prepared based on the “Participatory Audit on Gender Equality, Rights, and Diversity in the GS/OAS,” conducted November 28 to December 8, 2016. The participatory nature of the audit enabled the staff from all the secretariats and other GS/OAS bodies, including other Autonomous and/or Decentralized Organs, to take part in the audit, thus providing input on developing the Plan of Action to implement the policy. Also of note is the adoption of Executive Order No. 16-08 of the Secretary General “Alternate Work Arrangements Policy,” effective as of February 1, 2017, which seeks to support staff through greater flexibility in their work schedules, increase job satisfaction, and strengthen staff commitment to the General Secretariat’s mission. The work of the Staff Association in this effort was significant.

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The adoption of the Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization [AG/RES. 1 (L1- E/16)] was also significant, in that the gender perspective was a cross-cutting theme. Also important was the guidelines for mainstreaming the principles, policies, and strategies of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the General Secretariat for all initiatives, programs, and projects, and General Secretariat partnership initiatives with other agencies working on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs (Executive Order 16-05). Regarding the work done by some departments of the GS/OAS and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities, especially noteworthy is the qualitative advance in the work of some departments of the OAS/GS and the autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities. This work is reflected not only in their efforts to mainstream gender and women’s rights, as well as a diversity perspective in some cases, in projects and programs, but also in the formulation and implementation of initiatives, projects, programs, and methodology specifically designed to improve the situation of women and contribute to their empowerment in different areas. At the internal level, this process has involved growing collaboration between GS/OAS departments and other entities, and the CIM. Also of note in connection with these advances is the growing importance of gender as a theme in different political forums, including sectoral ministerial meetings and their committees, of which the OAS serves as Technical Secretariat. Of the total number of GS/OAS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities that participated in the survey (in addition to the National Offices of the OAS), 44.4% (20 bodies) serve as Technical Secretariat of ministerial or similar meetings and, of these, all but two (2) indicate that gender equality and rights are discussed in these forums. This trend has been on the rise since 2010. Likewise, 57.8% (18 departments and 8 autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities) of the entities consulted (45) replied that they had policy(ies), program(s) and/or project(s) that promote gender equality and women’s rights, a rate higher than in previous years (63.4% in 2015, 61% in 2014, 56.4% in 2013, 48.8% in 2012, and 47.6% in 2011). This question was also put to the National Offices, 25% (7) of which answered in the affirmative, compared to 53.6% (15) in 2015, and 32.1% in 2014. In this connection, all of the GS/OAS secretariats have reported on efforts in the framework of initiatives, projects, or programs. As concerns the technical capacity to implement a gender and rights-based approach, 57.8% (26 entities) replied that they had this technical capacity, whereas 31.1% (14) said that they did not, and 11.1% (5) did not reply or offer specifics. Of the National Offices, 25% (7) indicated that they had this technical capacity, compared to the similar figure of 32.1% (9) in 2015 and 2014, 10.7% (3) in 2013; 28.3% (8) said that they did not and 46.4% did not reply or give specifics. Note that, among others, the team of the Inter-American Program of Judicial Facilitators (its coordinator and managers) and that of the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP-OAS) are numbered among the staff trained by the CIM since 2013 through the online course on gender and rights. Moreover, the majority of bodies replying to the questionnaire said that they would like to continue receiving support and technical assistance and training from the CIM/OAS in order to advance the implementation of the IAP. To date, all the secretariats have some trained personnel. Similarly, 51.1% (14 departments and 9 organs, agencies, and entities) of the bodies said that they had promoted the integration of women’s rights and/or the gender perspective in their reports during this period, compared to 58.5% in 2015, 53.7% in 2014, and 46.15% in 2013, whereas 26,7% (12) replied that they had not and 20% did not answer the question.

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Moreover, 44.4% (14 departments and 6 agencies) indicated that the programs, projects, and other activities associated with the 2016 Operational Goals approved for their department/unit/organ, agency/entity mainstreamed gender and/or rights, while 20% (9) indicated that this was not the case, 28.9% (13) did not answer, and 6.7% (3) did not provide specifics or indicated that the question was inapplicable. As for the distribution of positions within the GS/OAS, according to the data in reports prepared by the DHR, there continues to be a wide gender gap, with a predominance of men in decision-making positions. As of December 31, 2016, about 34.4% of the men working in the Organization occupied posts at the P-4 level or above, compared to 15.4% of the women. At the D-2 level, there is a marked absence of women, with the posts in this category held by one woman. What is more, 72.1% (compared to 72.26% in 2015 and 70% in 2014) of general services positions (grades G-7 to G-1) were occupied by women. The second widest gender gap is found at the G-6 level, where women occupy 84.7% (very similar than in 2015) of the posts. It is considered that the CIM’s growing collaboration with, technical assistance to, and coordination with the principal areas of the GS/OAS, including the Department of Planning and Evaluation and various inter-American committees and their secretariats, are contributing to a better understanding of the negative effects of gender inequalities in the thematic areas, and to the formulation and implementation of policies, projects, programs, methodologies, and other initiatives that are sensitive to those approaches which, in some cases, have also been specifically designed to promote gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment in different areas. In order to continue moving forward effectively in implementing the IAP and in institutionalizing a gender equality and women’s rights-based perspective in the OAS and in the inter-American system, as a key step toward introducing these approaches as a crosscutting theme in all work of the GS/OAS, action must be taken immediately to strengthen current actions, including training and awareness-raising, the dissemination of validated methodologies, and lessons learned and best practices, so as to pave the way for new related initiatives in the framework of the pillars of the OAS. These are only some of the actions considered for purposes of implementing the Institutional Policy on Gender Equity and Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS. Both the areas of the OAS/GS, the National Offices, and the autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities have reiterated their interest in continuing collaborative ties with the CIM, and in continuing to have the CIM’s technical assistance and advice. Beyond the training in gender issues and specific technical assistance and advice that is being provided, in order to be able to comply effectively with the function conferred upon the CIM under the IAP since its adoption, the Permanent Secretariat of the CIM needs to maintain the ongoing monitoring of and follow-up to this Inter-American Program, for which the existence of the Institutional Policy on Gender Equity and Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS and its related Plan of Action, resulting from the audit recently conducted by the GS/OAS, will be of fundamental importance. To that end, however, fresh resources will be required for these purposes.

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V. RECOMMENDATIONS Taking into account the results achieved and of the pending challenges, recommendations are to: 1, Urge all bodies – secretariats, departments, committees/commissions, autonomous and specialized organs, agencies, and entities and other relevant bodies – of the Organization of American States to step up the mainstreaming of a gender equality and women’s rights perspective in their activities, in collaboration with the Inter-American Commission of Women, especially in light of the recently-adopted Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights in the General Secretariat of the OAS, with a view to its effective implementation. 2. In light of the results of the GS/OAS’s Participatory Audit on Gender, Rights, and Diversity and the Plan of Action to implement the Institutional Policy on Gender, Diversity, and Human Rights stemming from this audit, urge OAS bodies to bear these results in mind in their efforts, as part of Comprehensive Strategic Plan of the Organization. All GS/OAS work should be permeated with a gender, rights, and diversity perspective. 3. Urge the member states and the General Secretariat to ensure the human, material, and financial resources required to continue to ensure the implementation of the IAP and the Institutional Policy on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights of the OAS, including those resources for building the technical capacities of the Executive Secretariat of the CIM to fulfill the functions entrusted to it under the Policy.

4. Urge the donor countries of the OAS to provide support for building the capacities of the GS/OAS, including those of the CIM in its efforts to further the implementation of the IAP and any functions the Policy requires. 5. Promote greater participation by women in the Organization’s senior management positions, especially at the P-4 and P-5 levels and above, as a follow-up to the commitments made in this regard. 6. Urge the General Secretariat of the OAS, with support from the CIM, to identify and disseminate promising internal practices related to women’s rights and gender equality, in order to highlight the role of the Organization as a hemispheric political forum that responds to the demands of the women of the region. 7. Urge the various bodies of the OAS General Secretariat explicitly to mainstream a gender and rights-based perspective in the annual Operational Goals to be approved for their department/unit/organ/agency/entity. 8. Ensure that, in reports and publications as well as in the Organization’s communication and information dissemination and promotional activities, priority is accorded to women’s rights and gender equality so as to give greater visibility to these matters in the Organization’s work. 9. Urge the various OAS General Secretariat bodies that make up the Policy Implementation Follow-up Commission to continue actively participating in order to contribute to its effective operation.

CIM03844E01

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ANNEXES

ANNEX 1: Summary of Replies

GS/OAS departments and autonomous and decentralized organs, agencies, and entities

6.b) Promotion 7) Do the 2016 LEGEND 5) Has a of a human Operational 8) Acts as 10) Has X – Yes 2) Has specific 4) Has specific policy(ies), rights and Goals include Tech./Exec. technical 11) Personnel 9) The theme of – No mandate(s) for mandate(s) for program(s) gender equality activities, Secretariat of capacity participated in gender equality NR – No reply the advance- the advance- and/or in reports projects, or inter-American available to gender-related and women’s NS – Not specified ment of gender ment of gender project(s) that published by the programs, that comm.(s)/ implement a training rights is present N/A – Not applicable equality and equality and promote gender OAS integrate a committee(s), rights-based and workshop or in these bodies DN – Don’t know women’s rights women’s rights equality and gender and/or ministerial or gender equality activity human rights rights-based similar meetings approach perspective

Office of Protocol

OFFICE OFFICE THE OF SG Office of the Secretariat of NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR the GA, the Meeting of Consultation, the PC, and Subsidiary Organs Dept. of Conferences and N/A Meetings Management Coordinating Office for the NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Offices and Units of the GS

in the Member States OFFICE OF THE ASG THE OF OFFICE YABT x x NR N/A x Dept. Planning and x x x NR x N/A x Evaluation

Dept. Press and NR x NR NR N/A x Communication

Dept. International Affairs x x NR NR N/A

Organizational x x NR NR N/A x x DEV. & GMT. RES. GMT. & DEV. STRAT.COUNCIL ORG. ORG. STRAT.COUNCIL Development Section

x x x x x x x x

Dept. International Law

Dept. Legal Cooperation NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

LEGAL LEGAL

AFFAIRS SEC. FOR FOR SEC.

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Dept. Legal Services

x x x x X X x x x

Department of Social Inclusion

x x x X x x EQUITY RTS AND AND RTS Relations with Civil Society SEC. ACCESS ACCESS SEC. Section x x x X x x x x Dept. Electoral Cooperation

and Observation

Dept. Sustainable x x x x X N/A x x

Democracy and Special

DEMOC. STRENG. STRENG. SEC. FOR FOR SEC. Missions

Dept. Human Development, x x x x X x x x x

Education, and Employment Department of Economic x x x x X x x x x Development Department of Sustainable x x x x X x x x x Development

EXEC. SEC. FOR SEC. EXEC. x x x x X x x x x INTEGRAL DEV. INTEGRAL Secretariat of the CIP x x x x X x x x x

CICAD

NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR CICTE x x x x X x x x x

Dept. of Public Security

SEC. FOR FOR SEC. SECURITY MULTIDIM. MULTIDIM. DDOT

Dept. Effective Public x x NR x x x x

Management x x x X x x x x Summits Secretariat

AFFAIRS Dept. Strategic Initiatives x x x x x x SEC. HEMIS. SEC. HEMIS. and Public Diplomacy SAF Executive Office x x x

CE N. & N.

SEC. SEC. Dept. Human Resources x x x X N/A x x ADMI FINAN

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N/A x Dept. Financial Services Dept. Information and N/A Technology Services Dept. Procurement Services x N/R x x Dept. General Services N/A IACHR x x x x X x x x x

x x x x X x x x x IIN

CIES x x x x x x x x CITEL x x x x NR x x x x IICA x x x x x N/A x x PAHO x x x NR N/A x x PAIGH Office of the Inspector N/A General Retirement and Pension NE N/A N/A x Fund x x x N/A x Trust for the Americas x NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR FUPAD Secretariat of Adm. x N/A

Tribunal AUTONOMOUS & DECENTRALIZED AGEN & DECENTRALIZED AUTONOMOUS CIM x x x x x X x x x

Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Sect Org. Yes 11 6 21 8 18 8 14 9 14 6 15 5 13 5 18 8 17 7 No 17 5 8 3 11 3 . 11 1 7 2 14 6 7 11 3 12 4 NR 5 1 4 1 4 1 8 1 10 3 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 NE . . . 1 . .

TOTAL N/A 2 1 . 9 6 NS .

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OAS National Offices LEGEND 2) The Office has a 3) The Office has (a) 5) The Office has the 6) Personnel X – Yes strategy to integrate a policy(ies), program(s) 4.b) Promotion of a technical capacity participated in – No rights-based and and/or project(s) to human rights and gender available to implement gender-related NR – No reply gender equality promote gender equality in reports a rights-based and training NS – Does not approach into its equality and women’s published by the OAS gender equality workshop or specify activities rights approach activity N/A – Not applicable

Antigua and Barbuda NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Bahamas

Barbados NR NR NR NR NR X X X Belize

Bolivia NR NR NR NR NR

Costa Rica X X NR

Dominica NR NR NR NR NR

Ecuador X

El Salvador NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Grenada X X X X Guatemala NR NR NR NR NR Guyana

Haiti X X X NR Honduras X Jamaica X Mexico X X Nicaragua NR NR NR NR NR Panama X X X Paraguay X X X Peru NR NR NR NR NR Dominican Republic X X X Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Vincent and the X Grenadines NR NR NR NR NR Saint Lucia X X X X X Suriname X X Trinidad and Tobago NR NR NR NR NR Uruguay NR X Venezuela YES 8 7 6 7 7 NO 8 9 8 8 9 TOTAL NR 12 12 14 13 12 NE

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ANNEX 2

Information Required for the Preparation of the Report on Implementation of the IAP Contribution to the Annual Report of the Secretary General

1 Name of the department/unit/organ: ______Name of the Secretariat or other entity of which it is part: ______

If it is an autonomous or decentralized organ, agency, or entity, indicate the name: ______

2. In addition to the IAP, which was approved in 2000, please indicate if you have other specific mandates to advance gender equality and women’s rights in the areas of the department/unit/organ under your responsibility.

a) Yes _____ If you have other specific mandate(s), proceed to question 3. b) No _____ If you don’t have other specific mandate(s), proceed to question 4.

3. If you have other specific mandate (s), please indicate, for each case, the following. If there is more than one case, add the necessary additional rows.

If the mandates provided in the last report remain in force (summarized in Section II.A. (pp. 9- 12) and Annex 1), please so indicate. If so, you need not provide them again. However, if additional relevant mandates were adopted in the period covered by this report, please indicate them below:

Mandate (textual) Source of the How it is being fulfilled Observations and date of mandate4/. adoption

4. Does your department/unit/organ have any strategy to integrate a rights-based and gender equality approach in its activities? If there is such a strategy, please elaborate. If there is not one, please indicate the reason. Use all the necessary space in your answer.

If you have the same strategy or strategies described for the last report (summarized in Section II.B. (pp.12-16) and Annex 1), please so indicate. If so, you need not provide the information again. However, if you have another strategy/other strategies, please indicate them below:

a) Yes _____

4. Source of the mandate: It refers to those mandates from the General Assembly, the Permanent Council, Summits, Ministerial Meetings and from Inter-American Commissions/Committees and the like.

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______

b) No ______

5. Does your department/unit/organ have any policy(ies), program(s) and/or project(s) that promote gender equality and women’s rights?

a) Yes _____ b) No _____

6. a) If you answered yes to question 5, please provide for each case (policy, program or project), the title, objective, starting date and duration, most important achievements/results, partnerships and participating agencies, financial resources available, etc. If there is more than one case, add the necessary additional rows.

As reference, Section II.D of the last report (pp.18-21) contains the list of projects and programs provided for the last report, and Section III (pp. 23-54) provides details thereof.

Name of the Starting Objective(s) Achievements/results Partnerships Amount program/project/ date and and financial policy duration participating resources agencies

b) Has integration of women’s human rights and a gender equity and equality perspective been promoted in the reports published by your department/unit/agency?

i) Yes _____ ii) No _____ If you answered no, please indicate your reason(s) (use the necessary space). ______

7. Of the 2016 Operational Goals 20145 approved by your department/unit/organ, indicate the programs, projects, and other activities that integrate a gender and/or rights-based perspective. Complete the following chart, indicating the Operational Goal to which they correspond. Add additional rows as necessary.

5. The 2015 Operational Goals of the OAS General Secretariat are available at: http://oasconnect/Portals/0/Plan-Ctrl- Eval/Planning_&_Control/POAs/Annual_Operating_Plan_2016.pdf

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Secretariat Department Project/program/activity Operational Goal concerned (Provide the number and text of the goal)

8. Indicate if you department/unit/organ acts as Technical/Executive Secretariat for any Inter- American Commission(s)/Committee(s), Ministerial Meeting(s) or the like

a) Yes ______b) No ______

9. If you answered yes to question 7, please indicate if the question of gender equality and women’s rights is present within this body (Inter-American Commission(s)/Committee(s), Ministerial Meeting(s) or the like).

a) Yes, it is present: ______Name of the body(ies): ______

Explain how (use all the necessary space in your answer): ______

b) No, it is not present: ______Name of the body(ies): ______

10. Does your department/unit/organ have the necessary technical capacity to implement a rights- based and gender equality approach?

a) Yes _____ In case of a positive answer, also answer c) b) No _____

c) Describe the technical capacity that your department/unit/organ has. Use all the necessary space in your answer. ______

11. Has anyone from your department/unit/organ ever participated in any gender-related training workshop or activity?

c) Yes _____ In case of a positive answer, also answer c) d) No _____

c) Specify the name(s) of the aforementioned officers and the activities in which they have participated. Use all the necessary space in your answer. ______

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12. Specify the type of technical support that your department/unit/organ requires from the CIM/OEA in order to advance with the implementation of the PIA. Use all the necessary space. ______

Questionnaire sent to the National Offices of the General Secretariat

Information Required for the Preparation of the Report on Implementation of the IAP Contribution to the Annual Report of the Secretary General

1. OAS National Office Country: ______

2. Does your office have any strategy to integrate a rights-based and gender equality approach in its activities? If there is such a strategy, please elaborate. If there is not one, please indicate the reason. Use all the necessary space in your answer.

a) Yes ______

b)No ______

3. Does your office have any policy(ies), program(s) and/or project(s) that promote gender equality and women’s rights?

a) Yes _____ b) No _____

4. a) If you answered yes to question 3, please provide for each case (policy, program or project), name, objective, starting date and duration, most important achievements/results, partnerships and participating agencies, financial resources available, etc. If there is more than one case, add the necessary additional rows

Name of the Start date Objective(s) Achievements/results Partnerships Amount program/project/ and and financial policy duration participating resources agencies

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b) Has integration of women’s human rights and a gender equity and equality perspective been promoted in the reports published by your office? i) Yes _____ ii) No _____ If this is your answer, please indicate the reason(s) (use the necessary space). ______

5. Does your office have the necessary technical capacity to implement a rights-based and gender equality approach?

a) Yes _____ In case of a positive answer, also answer c) b) No _____

c) Describe the technical capacity that your office has. Use all the necessary space in your answer. ______

6. Has anyone from your Office ever participated in any gender-related training workshop or activity?

a) Yes _____ In case of a positive answer, also answer c) b) No _____

c) Specify the name(s) of the aforementioned officers and the activities in which they have participated. Use all the necessary space in your answer. ______

7. Specify the type of technical support that your office requires from the CIM/OAS in order to advance implementation of the IAP. Use all the necessary space. ______